Miss TN Volunteer pageant back in Jackson

Staff reports

About a month after the Miss Volunteer America organization crowned its second-ever winner, Miss Tennessee Volunteer week has returned to Jackson.

The event moved a week back on the calendar as the third week in July will probably be where it settles for the foreseeable future if the national pageant continues to happen in June, giving the state title crown winner 11 months to prepare for the national pageant and then crowning her successor a month after competing.

Paige Clark is the queen serving in that capacity this week after winning Miss Tennessee Volunteer in 2022 and reigning this year.

She finished in the top 10 at last month’s Miss Volunteer America.

This week, Clark and the Miss Tennessee Volunteer leadership welcome 36 local pageant winners to the Carl Perkins Civic Center to compete for the state crown and more than $100,000 in college scholarships.

The organization crowned their teen winners on Sunday night with Katie Alexander being named Miss Iris Tennessee Teen and Becca Butler being named Miss Tennessee Teen Volunteer.

Contestants representing local pageants from Jackson and Madison County include Miss Alexandria Volunteer Julianna Elsea. Alexandria was the original name of Jackson before it was changed early in its history because there was another town named Alexandria on the other end of the state.

Jewel Bodkins is Miss Madison County Volunteer.

Claire Criner is Miss Hub City Volunteer.

Jada Brown is Miss Lane College Volunteer.

Marti Sullivan is Miss Jackson Volunteer.

The pageant starts on Wednesday with three nights of preliminaries and then the finals are on Saturday night, which will culminate with the crowning of Miss Tennessee Volunteer.

Tickets are available online at misstennesseevolunteer.net.