An 18-year-old Freed Hardeman University freshman claimed the title of Miss Dixie PAC 2019 in a Saturday night revue at The Dixie.
She is Katie Hodges, daughter of Chris and Linda Hodges, of Henderson. She has blond hair and blue eyes.
She is a theatre education major at the university and was one of five contestants who competed in interviews, lifestyle and fitness, and evening gown competition.
In her interview she said that her platform is “Turning Type One Diabetes into Type None.”
“I want to bring awareness to type one diabetes,” she said.
For her talent she sang “Define Gravity” which received much applause and won her the talent competition.
In her prize package, she won a $1,000 scholarship to continue her education plus a $3,000 in-kind scholarship to Bethel University and a gift certificate toward an evening gown from Joann’s of Union City.
Taking first and second runner-up respectively were Kayle Davis of Adams and Machalia Bennett of Greenbrier.
In talking about her platform, “Broken Crayons Still Color,” Kayle said it is all about childhood mental health education and awareness. For the talent competition, she danced to “I’ll Fly Away.”
Kayle is a junior at Austin Peay State University, majoring in psychology. She won a $300 scholarship.
Machalia is a senior at Austin Peay University, where she is majoring in marketing.
During her interview, she said her platform was Mission 22.
“It’s fighting against veteran suicide,” she said.
For her talent she clogged to a number.
Machalia won the interview portion of the competition. She received a $200 scholarship.
Contestant Anna Bright was the People’s Choice and also won the lifestyle and fitness competition. Kaley Duffy was also a contestant.
Lauren Dickson of Parsons, Miss Dixie PAC 2018 and top ten contestant in the Miss Tennessee pageant, of Parsons served as the mistress of ceremonies along with Mary Humphrey, Miss Tennessee’s Outstanding Teen 2018 and Courtney Caton, Miss Mid-South 2015.
Dickson, who did the crowning, also sang “How Great Thou Art,” the number she sang in the Miss Tennessee pageant.
Lauren’s Irish Princesses were Mary Claire Faulkner and Kylie Jay Tippitt, who is from Huntingdon. Kylie is a former Little Miss Territorial West TN Strawberry Festival queen.
The audience was entertained with a dance number by Humphrey.
Judges were Beth Hood-Fromm, who has represented Tennessee in Miss America and Miss USA pageants; Derek Moseley, a paralegal and a college writing instructor; Jean Maddox Newsome, a hometown native, who served as a paralegal and now owns Mockingbird Threadworks on Main St. in Huntingdon; Melinda Hearn Reid, who serves as the executive director of the Jackson Arts Council; and Linda Sullivan of Greenfield, who is a certified pageant judge and is the co-owner and manager of Sullivan Trucking and a Park Lane Branch manager.
Miss Dixie PAC Pageant director was Lori Nolen with Tiffany Nolen and Amanda Wallace as co-directors. Pageant committee members were Courtney Caton, Karianne Boxell, Kim Sanders and Morgan Sturdivant.
