The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

Related Photos

January 23, 2009

GCC student part of pageant; Miss America contestant takes along local stylists

By Andrew Carranza

GROVE CITY — A Grove City hair salon is surely betting on Miss West Virginia to win the title of Miss America tonight.

Grove City College student Kayla Lynam is representing the Mountain State and with her in Las Vegas to help her win the competition are some friends from VitaStile Hair Designs.

“It’s such an honor that she picked us to do her hair,” said Cheri Black, manager at VitaStile. “We are going to do great work for her, and it’s very exciting.”

“Las Vegas is definitely different from Grove City,” Ms. Black laughed. “There are going to be so many big-name stylists here, and it’s so great to be a part of it. I also can’t wait to watch the pageant from backstage.”

Ms. Black and fellow stylist Jodi Meling have been prepping Miss Lynam for the big night. “We had prelims on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, going through the different rounds, and had a dress rehearsal on Friday,” Ms. Black explained. “We also practiced the different hairstyles we could do in-between events.”

Ms. Black said Lynam came to the salon twice this month to prepare for the competition.

“We practiced some hairstyles and also went over what type of dress she wanted to wear,” Ms. Black said. “We’ve been preparing for this for such a long time now, and I can’t wait to see what happens!”

Lynam, originally from Short Gap, W.Va., has been a client for three years, beginning in her freshman year, according to Ms. Black.

She said the pair have become good friends.

“We know each other very well,” Ms. Black said. “We were both so excited that she won (the state title) on her first try. I always knew that she had potential though.”

According to Ms. Black, once Lynam discovered that contestants could take their own hairstylists to the pageant, the newly crowned Miss West Virginia contacted her to ask her to style her hair for the competition.

“I automatically said yes,” Ms. Black said. “It’s been hard work, but it’s so exciting. We worked so hard, helping her plan her dress and appropriate hairstyles. It was tough, but it’s going to be all worth it.”

Gay Coast-Frampton, owner of VitaStile Hair Designs, said that while she is excited, the business has suffered with two of her best stylists gone for a week.

“The salon was shut down, so we are not making any money, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said with laugh. “To go from a small town environment to the Miss America Pageant in Last Vegas is so exciting.”

Miss Lynam, who completed her junior year last May as an entrepreneurship major, is also an exercise science and kickboxing instructor. She won the West Virginia state title in June and has taken the year off from college although she plans to return in the fall.

The Miss America Pageant will be broadcast at 8 p.m. on the TLC cable network.

For the first time, four contestants will be voted into the finals by viewers of “Miss America: Countdown to the Crown,” the four-part reality series that culminated Friday on TLC. Viewer favorites will be named along with 11 other finalists.

This year’s winner takes a $50,000 scholarship along with a year of travel and public appearances.



The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Text Only
Local News
  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012

  • School board mulls change to sports chaperone policy

    In order to comply with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Sharpsville Area School Board is looking to adjust a chaperone policy it implemented six months ago.

    May 25, 2012

  • Afternoon crash hurts 3 high school students

    Three Jamestown High School students were injured – one seriously – when their pickup left a roadway in southwest Crawford County and crashed into a tree Tuesday afternoon.

    May 24, 2012

  • Board sells some, holds some

    Brookfield Board of Education members voted Tuesday to accept only the bids for the elementary school and the middle school, for a total of $97,050.
    The decision came after an hour-long executive session.

    May 24, 2012

  • Levey: Kohl’s project died with school vote

    Stripped of the necessity of voting for a tax incremental finance plan by Hermitage School Board’s unwillingness to participate, Mercer County commissioners said Wednesday they would like to meet with school board and Hermitage city officials to discuss other ways they can help Levey and Co. build a retail development in the city.

    But Levey spokeswoman Jeffrey A. Mills said there is nothing to discuss.

    May 24, 2012

  • Warden expects hectic season at county jail

    With the unofficial start of summer just a few days away, Mercer County Jail officials are preparing for a busy season.

    May 23, 2012

  • Levey officially drops TIF request

    Levey & Co. has officially ended its request for a tax incremental financing plan to build a retail development anchored by a Kohl’s department store.

    May 23, 2012

  • Grant will pay to fix 12-15 homes



    The City of Farrell will be able to fix up about a dozen homes in the city thanks to a $300,000 HOME grant from the state.

    May 23, 2012

  • Hard budget choices yet to come


     
    Hermitage School Board has been fortunate in many ways during the economic downturn that has been so hard on many other schools.

    May 23, 2012