Roberta Camp, 22, of Grove City, the reigning Miss Scioto Valley, and Nanciann Strosnider, 20, of Cincinnati, who is currently Miss Portsmouth, were being hosted by local pageant Executive Director Greg Davis and friends.
Both women, who won their individual titles in November at Shawnee State University, leave on July 1 for Mansfield, where the pageant will be on July 8.
Camp, a communications major at The Ohio State University, said she will be busy the entire week, with preliminary events every day ranging from meeting the public to the talent phase, to the physical fitness event, which is the swimsuit competition.
Camp, who said her main focus is the $10,000 scholarship, also is concentrating heavily on her platform. “My platform is titled ‘Change the world - Build Character,'” said Camp. “I'm partnering with the national organization ‘Character Counts,' talking to Ohio schools about building character in our youth.”
After taking training, Camp is now certified in character development, meaning she can speak to school boards as well as students and faculty. “Now I can get in depth on the subject of character on a higher level,” said Camp.
Camp is the first-ever Miss Scioto Valley, with that title being incorporated into the same pageant as Miss Portsmouth. This will be her second participation in the Miss Ohio Scholarship Pageant.
Camp, who will sing “Gold” in the talent competition, last participated as Miss Greater Dayton. “While I would love to be able to sing the rest of my life, with my degree I intend to be a news anchor,” Camp said.
Strosnider, a musical theater and broadcast journalism major at Elon University in North Carolina, said it was exciting to be crowned Miss Portsmouth. “I felt very privileged to share the stage with Roberta that night because we are really good friends.”
Strosnider said the week before Miss Ohio is crowned will be filled with preliminaries. The candidates meet with sponsors on Monday, and then rehearse all week, leading to Saturday night when the pageant will open with the final 10 contestants being announced.
She, too, enjoys advocating her platform. “My platform is the maintaining the fine arts in our public school system,” said Strosnider.
“What I want to do is meet with community members, parents and school boards to find sufficient funds to maintain the arts in public schools.”
Davis said that the Miss Portsmouth pageant began in 1958, with Nancy Hamilton, now Nancy Hamilton Jarrells, winning the title.
“Ellen Pasturzak was the only Miss Portsmouth to win the Miss Ohio title, and last fall she was elected to the Miss Ohio board,” said Davis. “They wanted a former Miss Ohio on that board and chose Ellen. We are very honored by that selection.”
The event will again take place in the Renaissance Theater, as it has since 1976.
Summary of Miss Ohio week:
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