Thursday, September 16, 2004
Contestants vied in casual and evening wear.
By LAURA FARR
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- It's probably a good bet that Miss Ohio Amanda Beagle is the only 2004 Miss America contestant with an Italian sandwich named after her.
"That will be my fun fact on Saturday night during the parade of states, which will be part of the national telecast," said Beagle, 24, of Howland, whose specialty sandwich is on the menu at Jimmy's Italian Food Specialties in Liberty.
"My opening statement will be: 'And I have a sandwich named after me at my favorite Italian deli.' They wouldn't let me plug Jimmy's verbatim, so I worked around it," she said.
"Jimmy and I designed the sandwich together. It is Italian bread with Rosemary ham and fresh mozzarella with red peppers and homemade hot pepper. It's called La Rosina, The Little Rose. ... They have it listed on the menu as Amanda Beagle Miss Ohio's favorite," she said.
"That will be one of the first things I have [when I return home]. I plan to visit all of my favorite restaurants and tour my way around the Mahoning Valley."
Competition
Her comments about casual dining were apropos to part of Wednesday's competition.
On the third of three nights of preliminary Miss America competition, Beagle competed in the casual wear and evening wear segments.
"The casual wear competition is a fun, high-energy runway fashion show format with contemporary music," says Bob Bain, Miss America executive producer. The segment, added last year, is a way for contestants to showcase their personalities and demonstrate relevance to their peers," he said.
"Since the viewing audience spends 90 percent of its time in casual attire, this is a way for them to connect with the contestants," Bain said of the competition, which featured some contestants in T-shirts and jeans.
Evening wear
Getting the right attire for the evening wear competition is a bit more complicated.
Deborah's of Paducah, Ky., sponsored Beagle's gown, custom designed by Steven Yearick.
"Over the phone I told Steven Yearick what I wanted the gown to look like. I had a definite vision in my mind. I was lucky to have it arrive just the way I asked," said Beagle.
"It is a turquoise blue chiffon with a sweetheart necklace and a ... nice slit up the front. It flows beautifully in the back. It is truly elegant," she said.
During the evening wear segment, each contestant selects an escort. "My escort was my father, Gerald Beagle. It was a special moment."
Beagle has one more important phase of competition, the judge's interview Friday.
Later that day she will participate in the Annual Boardwalk Parade, a televised seven-mile parade with floats, marching bands, dancers, clowns, the current Miss America and the 52 Miss America contestants, one from each state, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. About 100,000 spectators are expected to line the parade route.
The pageant, celebrating 50 years on television, will air live at 9 p.m. Saturday on ABC.