It is time to begin taking applications for the positions of 2008 Miss Liberty and 2008 Miss Teen Liberty. The Liberty Scholarship Pageants, owned by Integrity Productions, Inc. of Lawrenceburg, are in their fifth year of producing college scholarship opportunities for young women across the state of Tennessee. Currently our winners have received over $6000 in college scholarships over the past four years. This year?s winners will each receive a $1000 college scholarship among many other prizes and gifts.

For 2008, the pageants will be offering a few changes in its format to encourage more young women to participate and to offer the viewing public a more streamlined production. One significant change implemented is during the preliminary swimsuit competition phase. This area of competition seems to require nerves of steel from those competing each year, but this year we will not be presenting preliminary swimsuit competition to the viewing public. We will instead be holding a closed to the public, private, swimsuit competition before the panel of judges only, in order to determine the scoring for the physical fitness portion of the judging. The three areas of judging are : personal interview 33%, swimsuit / physical fitness 33%, and evening gown 33%.

Another unique change for the production of the pageants will be geared toward enabling both the Teen and the Miss pageants to run concurrently to enhance the entertainment value for those in attendance. Both divisions will participate in an opening number together choreographed by our own current Miss Liberty, Chelsea Barker, of Belmont University, prior to the competition phase of the program.

The pageants are to be held on Saturday evening, January 12th 2008, at the Historic Crockett Theater in Lawrenceburg. The age division for those young women interested in competing are as follows: Must have reached her 14th birthday but not her 18th by August 1st, 2008 for the Teen Liberty division, or she must have reached her 17th but not her 26th birthday by February 1st, 2008, for the Miss Liberty division. For those interested, an application follows or may be picked up at area high schools or by contacting Karen Lanning, pageant director at 931-242-2291 or at missliberty@charter.net. Entry fee for both divisions is $150 and payment options are available. Deadline for the application return is November 7th, 2007.