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Wednesday, June 15,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3A
Dawson native returns to Miss Georgia pageant
Photo courtesy of Sallie Stowers
This week, Dawson County native Sallie Stowers will once again compete
for the title of Miss Georgia during the Miss Georgia competition in
Columbus, Georgia.
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
This week, Dawson
County native Sallie
Stowers will once again
return to the Miss Georgia
state to compete for the
title of Miss Georgia and
the chance to move on and
compete for Miss
America.
Stowers competed in
pageants throughout high
school, and as a freshman
at the University of
Georgia she competed at
the Miss Georgia pageant
in June of 2021, placing in
the top 15 last year under
the title “Miss Amicalola
Falls”.
Now, Stowers is back
with a determination to
compete for the Miss
Georgia crown again, this
year competing under the
title of “Miss Atlanta”,
which she won back in
August.
“I won my title of Miss
Atlanta back in August;
that was an open local
competition so I won my
title there,” Stowers said.
“From there I’ve just been
doing a lot of prepara
tions, a lot of practice
interviews, a lot of talent
rehearsals and just getting
ready.”
Stowers traveled down
to Columbus, Ga over this
past weekend and has a
packed schedule this week
with the competition,
including participating in
a private interview, talent
and evening gown, social
impact pitch and onstage
question.
“I will compete in inter
view on Tuesday, evening
gown on Wednesday, tal
ent Thursday and onstage
question and social impact
pitch on Friday,” Stowers
said. “Saturday will be the
finals where they’ll call
the top 15, and if I make
the top 15 I’ll get to do all
of it all over again — it
really is nine days of just
busy busy busy.”
While at the competi
tion, Stowers will raise
awareness for her social
impact initiative: Relay
for Life. Relay for Life is
the fundraising arm of the
American Cancer Society,
and Stowers, who is heav
ily involved in UGA’s
Relay for Life team, said
that it’s an organization
that is close to her heart.
“Cancer is something
that everyone can relate to
unfortunately and Relay is
one of those organizations
that really makes you feel
like you’re making a dif
ference and you can truly
see that difference that
you’re making,” Stowers
said. “They do incredible
things like providing rides
to treatment and hotel
stays and things like that
and it’s just such a great
organization; I’ve gotten
to really develop a super
close relationship with my
UGA Relay family this
year as Miss Atlanta.”
During the Miss
Georgia competition,
Stowers will be one of
over 50 “Miss” candidates
competing for the crown.
Out of this total, only 15
will be chosen to move on
and continue in the com
petition for the Miss
Georgia crown, a $20,000
scholarship and the
chance to represent her
state in the Miss America
competition.
Stowers said that the
part of the competition
she’s most excited for is
one that not everyone
would enjoy: the private
interview.
“I would say in terms of
competition I’m most
excited about the inter
view,” Stowers said. “I
love to get to know the
judges and that’s really an
awesome opportunity for
me to show what I care
about and a little bit of my
personality before they see
me onstage.”
Outside of the competi
tion, she said that she’s
most excited to participate
in the Miss Georgia Peach
Princess Program, which
pairs competitors like
Stowers with younger
girls to mentor and to
spend time with during
their time at the competi
tion.
“The Miss Georgia
organization has an
incredible mentorship pro
gram where young girls
ages five to 12 get to come
down and spend time with
us and it’s just so much
fun,” Stowers said. “So I’ll
have two princesses down
there with me that I get to
spend some time with and
it’s just so rewarding for
me; I just love shaping
them into strong young
women like we’ll get to
see compete next week.”
During the talent por
tion of the competition,
Stowers will showcase a
lesser-known talent that
she has been learning
since she was a child: con
temporary clogging.
“I’ve been a competitive
clogger since the age of
nine so it’s my thing; I put
a lot of pressure on myself
so I’m a little nervous but
I’m so excited for that,”
Stowers said. “I’m really
looking forward to sharing
it with the judges — it’s
something unique that a
lot of people have never
seen, the audience always
love to get into it and it’s a
high-energy performance
so I really think people
enjoy it.”
Stowers said that know
ing how much support she
has during the competi
tion, especially from her
hometown of
Dawsonville, is a huge
morale boost for her.
“Dawsonville shaped
me into who I am,”
Stowers said. “This is
such a tight-knit commu
nity and I went to school
here all 13 years so part of
who I am is Dawsonville;
so the community means
so much to me.”
Some of the biggest
boosts to Stowers, she said,
are to receive comments on
social media, messages
online or letters in the mail
with well-wishes and
encouragement.
She documents her Miss
Atlanta journey on her
Instagram page at @miss-
atlanta2022 and on her
Facebook page at https://
www.facebook.com/pro-
f i 1 e . p h p ? i d =
100011893873954 and
said that she loves getting
comments and messages
on both pages.
Stowers also has a mail
ing address to use during
the competition and said
that receiving letters or
other forms of communi
cation that way is another
boost for her.
“I have my address post
ed on there that will be for
letters while I’m at Miss
Georgia, and I would love
to hear from people in
Dawsonville,” Stowers
said.
To send Stowers a letter
or gift this week while
she’s at the competition,
she can be reached at:
For cards and mail:
Sallie Stowers, Miss
Atlanta, Mu 14, 25 West
Tenth Street, Columbus,
GA 31901.
For gifts and flowers:
Sallie Stowers, Miss
Atlanta, Mul4, 1011
Broadway, 2nd Floor,
Columbus, GA 31901.
For more information
about the miss Georgia
competition, go to https://
www.missgeorgia.net/
miss-georgia.
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cSeioe the
date!
You’re invited to our
100 Year Anniversary
Open House at
Carla Boutin State Farm!
When:
June 17, 2022
11:30 AM -1:30 PM
Where:
137 Prominence Court
Suite 210
Dawsonville, GA
