Pageant News Bureau - Miss Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania the magnificent

Pennsylvania's name means "Penn's Forest," and it still has some beautiful wilderness. But the Keystone State is no backwater. As long ago as the 18th century, travelers described Philadelphia as a more magnificent and modern city than Paris. The delegates of the 13 colonies chose Pennsylvania as their gathering place in 1776.

With such a classy state, you would expect great pageants, right? Absolutely. And that's what you get.

At left, Alycia McCullough, the first runner-up performs a dance routine. At right, Ms. McCullough and Emily Wills wait for the winner to be announced.

On July 1, 2006, the good people of Pennsylvania got their latest Miss America representative. Emily Wills, a Beaver resident competing as Miss Armstrong County, was crowned Miss Pennsylvania in the town of Nazareth.

Ms. Wills is a Penn State student, majoring in psychology. That's a science that can come in handy in pageants, but her beauty and talent are her real assets. She's following in the footsteps of Nicole Brewer, who did Pennsylvania proud by finishing in the top 10 at Miss America.

All photos by
Joe Whiteko / PNB

Nicole Brewer, the outgoing Miss Pennsylvania, in the Top 10 at Miss America, crowns Ms. Wills ...

... and gets a kiss from the new queen.

If we could stray from the facts for just a moment, we'd like to say something about feelings. There was a real atmosphere of love in the auditorium that night. Clearly, pageant fans and even other contestants have a genuine affection for Ms. Wills. Is Pennsylvania a loving state, or is she just lovable? It's a little of both. And PNB was there also, so love had to be in the air.

We hated to leave the forest.