MISS AMERICA Area family gears up for pageant

Contestants get only 15 minutes each day to visit with family and friends.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HOWLAND -- The convoy is ready.
Family and friends of Amanda Beagle's hit the road this weekend for the trek to Atlantic City, where the 24-year-old Howland native will compete in the Miss America pageant.
Gerald Beagle, Amanda's father, and his wife, Ann Marie, will stay in Atlantic City to lend moral support to their daughter, the reigning Miss Ohio, as she competes in preliminary contests next week.
Amanda already has spent a week in Atlantic City with rehearsals for the parade and competition, he said.
The Miss America pageant will air live beginning and 9 p.m. Sept. 18 on ABC. The local ABC affiliate is WYTV Channel 33.
The Beagles already have traveled to see Amanda participate in some Miss America events, including a recent stop in Washington, D.C.
"While they were there, the girls took part in a ceremony honoring veterans, especially those from World War II," Beagle said. "It was very touching."
Keeping busy
While in Atlantic City, Amanda will spend most of her time with pageant-related duties, including promoting her platform, which focuses on the Students Motivated by the Arts program.
The schedule leaves Amanda little time to visit with her family and other groups of friends and well-wishers who plan on attending the contest next weekend.
Each day, every state contestant in the national pageant is limited to 15 minutes to personally visit with friends and family.
Amanda is Gerald and Ann Marie's only daughter. They also have three sons: Gavin, 32; Jason, 27; and Nathan, 19.
A 2003 graduate of Youngstown State University, Amanda majored in vocal performance and plans to pursue her master's degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
She received a $15,000 scholarship toward her education when she was crowned Miss Ohio.
slshaulis@vindy.com
XThe Vindicator will publish special reports all next week on Amanda Beagle's activities in the Miss America pageant.