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Jan Boston Sellers Kudos to Tollett on her
performance I think Lisa's inclusion in that national
event is probably one of the most exciting things to ever happen
to Crossville and Cumberland County. People who never, ever had
been interested in beauty pageants have told me they ordered
pizza or went out to eat earlier than normal, and got their errands
finished quickly so they could be in front of their televisions
when the live CBS broadcast started. More than 50 Miss Tennessee fans attended
the pageant in Gary. Forty-two of us left Crossville a little
before 5 a.m. the day of the contest and arrived in Gary, which
is just south of Chicago, in time to change our clothes and get
back on the bus to head for the Genesis Convention Center. Since
it was a live telecast, we had to be seated by 7 p.m., an hour
before the show was scheduled to start, so that the producers
could give us instructions: turn off your cell phones, etc. The local group was seated in two different
sections: Some of us were in Section Q and the rest in Section
K. Those of us in Section Q were right in front of the Miss Oklahoma
and Miss Texas fans. This was a very rowdy section (as some of
you might have noticed on television) since Tennessee, Oklahoma
and Texas were all top-10 finalists. Miss Texas won the title and I talked with
her aunt and her grandmother afterward. Well, I talked to her grandmother. Her aunt
never stopped crying. Her little grandmother, who looked to be
about 80, said, "I could live the rest of my life on this." Someone asked me earlier in the week what
the highlights of the trip were. I would have to say Lisa's top-10
finish, Frances Cunningham's interview by The Gary Times, a couple
of the girls having their photos made with celebrity judge Martha
Stewart, and when we went to get in our bus, Donald Trump's limo
was parked right beside us and we got to see him get into the
car. Trump owns the Miss U.S.A. Pageant. That is one reason the
contest was held in Gary: Trump owns a hotel and casino there.
Okay, so he isn't one of my favorite people, either, but hey,
it was a celebrity sighting! Lisa's parents, Mike and Mary Sue Tollett,
rode the bus from our hotel over to the pageant site. They, along
with their other daughter, Lori, want to make sure that Crossville
and Cumberland County know how much they have appreciated all
the support that Lisa has received in the past few months. "You
will never know," Mary Sue said, "how much your cards,
calls, letters, gifts, etc. have meant to us. This community
has been wonderful and we will never, ever forget it." I liked the way someone put it earlier this
week. "You know, usually when a small town like Crossville,
Tennessee gets recognized nationally, it is for something bad
that has happened. Isn't it great to get national recognition
for something good?" I couldn't have said it better myself.
Way to go, Lisa! Lisa will get some much-needed rest this weekend
after spending almost a month in Gary. She will be in Atlanta
to watch her boyfriend, NASCAR driver Elliot Sadler, in the Cracker
Barrel 500. Elliot is also in the top 10 with 347 points
in the Winston Cup. *** *** This tourney will feature two 90-minute preliminary
rounds in which each participant is required to play, as well
as a final round of play between the top six competitors to determine
the winner. "At present this is the only (Monopoly)
tournament in the state," Barbara said, "which means
our winner will be the state winner. The next level is the national
tournament." Hasbro pays all expenses for the state winner
and a guest to attend the national tournament. The last national
was held in New York. The winner of the nationals will then go
on to the international tourney. Call Barbara at 484-7502, extension 127, for
additional information. *** |