Sweet Queens crowned in Darlington

Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival Chelsea Bullock, right, and Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival Teen Kinsley Odom. Photos by Jana E. Pye

Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival Chelsea Bullock, right, and Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival Teen Kinsley Odom.
Photos by Jana E. Pye

By Jana E. Pye, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net

The S.C. Sweet Potato Festival sponsored by the Darlington Pilot Club is weeks away, and the long running family favorite event has two new ambassadors: Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival Chelsea Bullock and Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival Teen Kinsley Odom were officially crowned at the Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival & Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival Teen Pageant on Sunday, September 20.

The pageant is an official preliminary for the Miss South Carolina Pageant, precursor to the coveted Miss America Pageant held each year in Atlantic City.

Pageant Director Will Isgett of Darlington was very pleased with his pageant, and the winners. Isgett will share a detailed story in the next issue of the News and Press.
Miss pageant winner Chelsea Bullock of Bennettsville is a senior nursing major at the University of South Carolina. She is a dancer.

Other Miss winners include: 1st runner-up Hope Lumpkin; 2nd runner-up Sarah Floyd. Miss Talent winner was Sarah Floyd; and Miss Swimsuit winner was Hope Lumpkin. Miss Congeniality Award went to Chelsea Jacobs of Darlington, and Peoples Choice Award went to Murphy Lee, also of Darlington.

Teen pageant winner Kinsley Odom is a sophomore at West Florence High School. Her hometown is Florence. Her talent is tap dancing, and she won over the crowd with her on-stage question on how she perceives individuals with Down Syndrome, stating that in honor of Down Syndrome Awareness month she will feature many young people with the syndrome with foam “Number 1” fingers on an upcoming Pee Dee Auto Sales commercial.

Other Teen winners include: Teen 1st runner-up Kally Bethea; Teen 2nd runner-up Ashleigh Smith; Teen talent winner Kally Bethea; and Teen gown winner was Kinsley Odom. Miss Congeniality was Gracie Hicks, and the People’s Choice Award went to Mallory Baxley.

Also competing from Darlington County were two Hartsville young ladies, Miss Niki Martin and Teen Madeline McElveen.

The theme of the pageant was “Who Will Be Queen?” with music from the popular rock group Queen playing throughout. X Factor contestant Stone Martin of Hartsville sang the National Anthem. The emcee for the event was Kim Sullivan, Mrs. South Carolina 2008. Also performing were members of the Phoenix Phame Show Choir of Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology and dancers from the Brenda Cranford School of Dance.

Both Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival Chelsea Bullock and Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival Teen Kinsley Odom will be performing at the S.C. Sweet Potato Festival sponsored by the Darlington Pilot Club on the Public Square in downtown Darlington on October 10th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mobile viewers, please click link to see photo gallery: Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival Pageant

Author: Duane Childers

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