Miss TN Volunteer Scholarship Pageant contestants honored with special luncheon

JACKSON, Tenn. — It’s a week full of special events for young ladies vying for the crown of Miss Tennessee Volunteer.

Contestants in this year’s Miss Tennessee Volunteer Scholarship Pageant were honored guests Monday. The Old Hickory Rotary Club held a special luncheon at Jackson’s DoubleTree Hotel. Jimmy Exum is president and producer of the pageant.

“There will be some short introductions of the girls and a little promo on the pageant,” Exum said.

Thirty-six Miss Tennessee contestants will be competing in the Miss Tennessee Volunteer Scholarship Pageant.

Christine Williamson, who was crowned as the first ever Miss Tennessee Volunteer, spoke at the event. She will be crowning a new Miss Tennessee Volunteer Saturday night.

“I think it’s really exciting that she will be able to hit the ground running as soon as I crown the next girl,” Williamson said. “And I am really excited for her to get to go on a school tour, to get to be a part of so many service initiatives in our state.”

The contestants say they are excited for this year’s pageant.

“I am pumped. I am really excited,” contestant Kailey Jordan said. “It’s my fourth year to be here, and I am honored to be here. This organization has really shaped me into the woman I am today.”

“It feels ecstatic and exciting,” contestant Elise Stein said. “I am so excited to be here and to be competing or competing with these women, and I am just happy to be here. I am excited to compete.”

“I have always wanted to do it,” contestant Anne McKay Sandelovich said. “It took me three years to be able to come here, so it’s been a journey. It’s been a lot of self-growth.”

The Miss Tennessee Volunteer Scholarship Pageant will be held at the Carl Perkins Civic Center beginning Wednesday through Saturday.