I find it appropriate to share a Core family adventure, in the spirit of being “on the road again”…. My mom, dad, sister and I would travel to Mississippi to spend Christmas with family every year. After one particularly frustrating morning of packing our ridiculous amount of luggage, etc. and finally loading everything, ourselves included, into the car, my sister leaned over from the driver’s seat and broke the silence by turning the radio on.  As she hit the power button, we all heard Willie Nelson’s famous voice singing, “On the road again…”  She leaned right back over and turned the radio off.

It has definitely been a busy month on the road, but truly some of the best adventures!  I had the opportunity to fly in a C-130 Hercules aircraft with Pope Air Force Base to visit Niagara Falls.

After we were briefed on what our two day trip would entail, we were off to board our plane. The pilot approached me and said, “Now I don’t want to put you on the spot or anything, but we have an extra headset in the cockpit and you’re welcome to ride up front with me.”  My thought was, “Seriously?  You really have to ask me that question?”  But, I smiled a great big smile, and told him I would love to.

Take off was unbelievable and as soon as we were off the ground, he told me to remove my seatbelt and I could stand right beside him!  Upon arriving in New York, we were given a tour of the base and ate an amazing dinner at the Red Coach Inn overlooking the falls.  The next morning we toured the MEPS center (Military Entrance Processing Command) where we were able to witness the swearing in of four remarkable young people. It was truly life-changing to be included in such an amazing step in their careers.

That afternoon we boarded our faithful C-130 once again and safely traveled back to North Carolina.

The very special friend that made this trip possible for me, Mr. Tommy Bolton, the Civilian Aid to the Secretary of the Army, also invited me to attend a “Welcoming Home the Troops” celebration at the Crown Center in Fayetteville that same weekend. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, I was given the opportunity to introduce Gary Sinese and the Lt. Dan Band to the thousands of soldiers celebrating with their families.

Interacting with our military service men and women has truly been one of the highlights of my year thus far and I am thankful every single day for their never-ending sacrifices.

Next up, I was off to the Miss Gastonia/Gaston County pageants.  This was my first opportunity to visit these preliminaries and what incredible young women that community has!  Congratulations to Shaina and Mikhaila on a wonderful year and to the new queens Maddisson Sheppard, Miss Gastonia, and Brianna Eason, Miss Gaston County.  Best of luck as you prepare for Miss NC 2011!

The following day I had an amazing chance to have a photo shoot with Triangle Style Magazine in downtown Raleigh.  The day started with hair and makeup by Karen Parsons at The Hair and Face Lounge and she truly worked her magic.  Also, thank you to Ferial at Tanas Hair Designs for the eyelash extensions and all of the hard work to make me look my best!  Next, we met Erica Parsons, the editor of Triangle Style, Michele Little, the stylist, and Mary Surles, the photographer.  Now, this was truly a team that put their heads together for a fantastic photo shoot.  Hope you will all pick up the next edition of Triangle Style Magazine, coming out the first week of September!  I cannot thank Kevin Driver enough for his great sense of humor, great taste in music, but most importantly his dedication to always making sure that I have all that I need to step out looking my best!

Next was my welcome home reception in Erwin. Boy, do they know how to show hospitality!  There was delicious food from Campbell University, beautiful flowers from Jeffrey’s Florist of Dunn, and a magnificent “Town of Erwin” basket full of treats.  I was honored to be given a proclamation from the Mayor and made an honorary member of the Chamber of Commerce.  I am so thankful to have been raised in such a special town and appreciate the tremendous amount of support everyone has shown to me.  Thank you and I love you all!!

The next weekend was go, go, go!  First up was Robbins Farmer’s Day where I was able to spend some time with fellow queens, Miss Moore County, Charity Haskins and Miss Greater Sandhills, Emmy McLean.  What special role models both of these young ladies are as most of their Little Miss courts were there to watch every move they made.  I had already heard about the tradition of Miss North Carolina and the local preliminary queens riding in a horse and carriage for the parade and it was such a beautiful white carriage!  Of course, our first question to the driver was if he did many proposals and weddings.  (I think I’ll just stick to being Cinderella on her way to Miss America!)  After the parade, we were given exquisite handmade pottery, presented awards, and got to check out the many vendors set up alongside the street.  Then it was time to jump back in the car and hit the road to Statesville.  Thankfully Mom was able to join me, so she did the driving (and I did the napping).  We were invited to a wonderful dinner at Mr. Danny Davis’ home before heading to the Miss Statesville pageant.  I was able to attend and perform at last year’s pageant when Marissa won and words cannot express what a genuine and caring person she is.  Congratulations on such a wonderful year and also to the new Miss Statesville 2011, Caitlin Lovette!

Mom and I spent the night in Statesville and were off to High Point the next morning for Kayla’s send-off for Miss America’s Outstanding Teen.  Kayla is truly one of the sweetest, most genuine people I’ve ever met and her personality is going to absolutely blow them away in Orlando!  I was also excited to see our princesses Savanna Mayes and Lakeland Bass along with all of the Outstanding Little Miss court.  Goooo Team KayRay!!

(On a side note…as I’m gazing out the window in deep thought about my next thing to write, we passed a few men in a construction truck. I just smiled a friendly smile from the front seat.  I couldn’t figure out why the driver looked somewhat frightened….then remembered I have 24 jumbo pink rollers in my hair.  Sorry Sir.)

Now to the princess slumber party!!  Each of the NC Outstanding Little Miss queens hosted fundraisers this year for Children’s Miracle Network for Miss North Carolina’s sponsorship for Miss America.  Charli Rosenberg raised the largest amount of money at her Womanless Beauty pageant fundraiser which ended up being a night full of laughs!  As a prize to the highest fundraiser, Charli won a slumber party at the Miss NC apartment with 3 friends.  Megan Huff had the highest bidding princess basket at Miss NC so she was also invited to the sleepover.  The girls arrived about 3:00pm and after a tour of the apartment and lots of pictures with the 6 foot crown hanging on the wall, it was time for the pool!  After swimming until it was literally dark outside, we ate pizza donated from Mike Smith and Papa John’s, and then it was shower and pajama’s…but no bedtime!  We watched “Enchanted” in the theatre room downstairs, ate lots of goodies, and stayed up until our eyes would no longer stay open.

After the girls were all headed home for naps the next day, there was no rest time for me!  I was off to Pope Air Force Base to officially become honorary Wing Commander of the 440th operations group.  I even received my very own flight suit with name tag!  Keep a lookout for me in that flight suit pretty soon…..won’t say any more about that for now  =)  Thank you to Colonel Gorse for making such a special experience possible for me!

Next up, I was truly honored to be a part of Jimmy V week in the Triangle.  First off was “Cruise to the Keys – Party with a Purpose” in which a silent auction took place as we pretend-cruised to the Bahamas.  We were able to meet and mingle with celebrities, indulge in delicious food, and even hit the dance floor (I’m pretty sure I’ve recruited ESPN host Stuart Scott to help with my dance for Miss America…he can boogie!)

Saturday night was the Jimmy V Gala in which my mom was able to participate with me. It was a truly special night for us to share.  As we sat down to an elegant dinner, the infamous 1993 ESPY speech began playing on two large projectors at the front of the ballroom.  I’ve literally seen this speech by Coach Valvano a hundred times, but this felt like I was actually there watching him when he originally gave it.  Jim’s wife, daughters, brother, grandchildren at the next table over and a room full of at least a thousand people were captivated by his every word.

After dinner, there was a live auction where I was able to witness thousands upon thousands of dollars pouring directly into the fund for local cancer research.  Once the auction was complete, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see a great big smile I recognized.  She put out her hand and said “Hi, I’m Nicole Valvano, Jim was my father, and I really wanted to come over and meet you.”  After almost looking over my shoulder to make sure she wasn’t meaning to approach someone else, I managed to introduce myself.  I was still a little star struck as she sat right down at the table with my mom and me while we shared similar stories about our dads.  As we were talking, Nicole’s sister and cancer survivor, Jamie walked onstage to give final remarks and after sharing her story of her battle with cancer, she quoted her father, “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities.  It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul.  And those three things are going to carry on forever.”  What better proof than to sit in that room and witness what was taking place?

The weekend came to a close with the Celebrity Golf Tournament on Sunday as everyone continued to celebrate The V Foundation reaching 100 million dollars raised for cancer research!

Another question for you to think about until our next “conversation”…

“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”

Much love,

Adrienne Core

Miss North Carolina 2010

Ever wondered what preliminaries you qualify to compete in?

In addition to the four open pageants slated for 2010-11, we have several closed local titles available to you!

Click the map above to find out.  Or, on the red toolbar, scroll over “Local Pageants.”  At the drop down menu, click “Find by County” and you will find all the information for which you are looking!

]]> http://missnc.org/?feed=rss2&p=451 0 http://missnc.org/?p=421 http://missnc.org/?p=421#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:19:05 +0000 Miss NC http://missnc.org/?p=421 If you are attending the 90th Anniversary of the Miss America Pageant this year in Las Vegas, you will definitely want a visitation badge to go and meet our wonderful Miss North Carolina, Adrienne Core!  The desert heat is nothing compared to the temperatures that will be rising when Adrienne hits Planet Hollywood!  Visitation badges allow access to open rehearsals, the Miss America trade show, and to visitation after preliminary nights of competition.  Badges are $35.00 each and must be ordered through the Miss North Carolina organization.  The deadline to order your badge is November 15th.  Beth Knox will handle all ticket and badge orders and can be reached at bethknox@missnc.org   You can mail check made payable to the Miss North Carolina Pageant or pay via credit card.  A headshot must include any visitation badge order.   Any badges ordered after Nov. 15th will be $50 per badge and will be processed in Las Vegas.

To send a good luck card to Kayla in Orlando, please address your mail as follows:

Kayla Hollingsworth, Miss North Carolina’s Outstanding Teen

 Rosen Centre Hotel, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819-8122

“When they call your name you don’t believe it…it’s a feeling I don’t think I’ll feel again. It’s hard to describe what it feels like to be in the moment where your dream comes true. It’s kind of like falling, kind of like floating, kind of like drinking six red bulls in a row and trying to sit still. It’s like a ton bricks hitting you then bursting into glitter, or a moon-bounce on a trampoline. I try and try to describe it, how fulfilling it is when all those little dirt roads finally reach a destination…how fulfilling it is to have the opportunity to give and give and give every single day…but it’s just so hard. So here is my attempt. I would love for you to come with me through my dream this year…and if you want to, I would love for you to try and weed through my banter to figure out what it is that I’m feeling…because I want you to feel it too.”

Reading these few sentences still makes this experience seem dreamlike and she really does capture what I was feeling the night of June 26, 2010 and every moment since.  Mrs. Beth gave me a journal shortly after I was crowned and I have tried to write every few days to make sure I don’t leave anything out of this special journey.

Rewinding back to the first moment I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to compete for Miss North Carolina, holding hands on stage, my heart pounding out of my chest, Brooke McLaurin’s exact words were “and the winner of Miss Fayetteville 2009, the young lady who will represent a wonderful community and continue on to the Miss North Carolina pageant in June, and possibly…Miss America…goes to contestant #5, Adrienne Core.”  Now, flash forward a year and a half later- I’m holding hands on stage again, my heart still pounding out of my chest, and I look over at Brooke McLaurin waiting for her announcement.  (By the way, I’m pretty sure this means we need her to host Miss America, right?)  Every moment after this felt like the entire world had stopped in its place and I was running around in a blur.  After taking picture after picture, smiling as big as I ever have, we left for the Coronation Reception at the Marriott.  As soon as I stepped into the limo with my brand new business manager, I had to confess to her, “Mrs. Deborah, don’t be mad at me…but…I didn’t pack ‘the’ bag.”  (Every contestant is told to pack “THE BAG” going into Saturday night with all the necessary items for spending the night in the hotel and be prepared to get dressed and ready for the WRAL interview by 6:00 the next morning.)  Mrs. Deborah took a deep breath and graciously told me not to worry that we would figure it out and to enjoy the reception.  (My sister left for Erwin about 1:30 a.m. to get my things…I’m indebted to her forever.)   At the reception I was so warmly welcomed into a room full of smiling faces and was able to spend time with the judges, sponsors, family and friends.

Before I knew it, I was whisked off to my hotel room to meet with Mrs. Beth and Mrs. Deborah about my immediate schedule.  As we were talking about the many places I would travel in those first few days, my first thought was “Yipessss, GPS!”  During the Monday rehearsal before we moved in to Peace, my car was broken into and my GPS was stolen.  As I turn to tell my mom we would need to purchase one as soon as Best Buy opened, Mrs. Deborah presented me with a brand new TomTom Roger Hawkins had donated.  Thank you Roger for such a special gift!

After an hour of sleep, I was up and ready for my very first interview with WRAL and then brunch with the Miss NC board of directors where they handed me the keys to my brand new apartment.

My first day as Miss North Carolina concluded with a “flying” trip to Erwin to grab as many appearance clothes as possible and right back to spend the night in my new home.  Over the next week, I had interviews with Bob and the Showgram, News 14 Carolina, WXII, Fox 8, and the Keith Larson show.  I tried to link each of these to my Facebook so you could listen in.  I had so much fun!  I addressed the North Carolina House of Representatives and the Senate, sharing a bit about me and my platform.  Like my crowning, the experience was surreal as they opened the large golden doors for both the Wake and Harnett representatives to escort me to the podium as each dignitary in the room stood from their seat to applaud.  Our state representatives work endless hours making important decisions for our state.  I was in awe at their encouragement and warmth!

Next, I was on the road to Charlotte, had a fabulous photo shoot with Lenn Long in gorgeous clothes from Jaime Estrada at Reign Fine Apparel.  (Thank you so much Jaime for also sponsoring me at the Southport July 4^th parade!)

The July 4^th celebrations at both Fort Bragg and Southport were unbelievable and created an Independence Day I will never forget.  During my first full weekend as Miss North Carolina, I was among approximately 75,000 people celebrating that special holiday.  After all of the festivities in Southport, my mother, Mrs. Beth’s family and I were all invited to a delicious dinner at Mrs. Connie and Mr. Keith’s beach home.  It never occurred to me or my mother as we enjoyed the end of the beautiful fireworks show from the deck and prepared to leave Southport that our plans were the same as thousands and thousands of other people also watching the fireworks.  Long story short, after leaving Southport about 9:30 p.m., we FINALLY made it to Erwin at almost 3:00 a.m.  To make it worse, my mom had to leave for work at 6:30 a.m.- she really does love me a lot!

The next week included having my talent music cut, which turned out to be very bittersweet.  I really didn’t think cutting out 30 seconds would be that big of a deal, so I shared all my “great” ideas with Mr. Hubert about where we could cut parts to save time.  After he completed all of my suggested splices he said, “Great – that took off about 8 seconds.” Whhhat?  But as always Mr. Hubert worked his magic and we have a perfect 90 second song for Miss America!

The following day was spent with Jordan Chan and his wonderful team as we shared lots of laughs and had an amazing photo shoot!  (Thank you to everyone who made this possible!)  Next I hit the road to Winston Salem for an Autism Awareness event Friday night and golf tournament Saturday.  Next up was the North Carolina Outstanding Little Miss pageant.  I can tell you firsthand the “Outstanding” is taken literally.  The theme for the weekend was Christmas in July and once we were in our pajamas for the slumber party, everyone exchanged Christmas gifts.  Then, each of the contestants got to dress their mothers in a custom trash bag evening gown to be worn in their very own pageant that evening.  After an entertaining show and a few [small] bites of delicious cake, everyone was off to bed to get ready for the big day.  Each of the reigning queens and every contestant were such remarkable young ladies!    (Congratulations to Ms. Pam and Ms. Melinda for such a successful pageant.  Thanks for all you do!!)

Later that week, I visited Frox, which is a unique boutique located in downtown Dunn.  Mrs. Melody Price has generously sponsored a portion of my wardrobe for the duration of my reign and guess what?  She just happens to carry Joseph Ribkoff , the official wardrobe sponsor for Miss America. I have my fingers crossed that this is another good omen for January!  If you are in the area, please stop by this spectacular boutique.  She has the perfect outfit and accessories for any occasion.

While we are on the topic of great clothes, the next day I was off to Isabella Grape in Wilmington to pick out my dresses for Miss America’s Outstanding Teen.  We made some great selections for the trip to Orlando and thank you so much Mrs. Connie and Mr. Keith for making this possible!

To wrap up, this past weekend I was invited to a Subway ribbon cutting at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.  Not only was this an exciting day for the hospital, but also for the entire state as this  is the first Subway to ever be located inside a hospital in North Carolina.  After the ribbon cutting, I was able to deliver cookies to some of the children that were in the hospital.  Their remarkable outlook on life amazes and inspires me.

I will be honest, it was a stressful week spent perfecting all the extensive Miss America paperwork, selecting the perfect pictures, and sending off a final cut of talent music.  All it takes for a reality check is to walk into the room of a sick child and see a small face light up simply because you want to sit down and spend time with them.  The challenges they face each day are more than I could imagine and remind me to smile just as big as they do and enjoy every second of each day.

Finally, I want to share a special story about a friend.  Paul is the brother-in-law of a friend I came to know during college.   He has been diagnosed with the exact same disease my father had.  As you might already know, my platform is The V Foundation for cancer research and I’ve chosen this organization after losing my father to cancer when I was only 18 years old. The same characteristics displayed by Jim Valvano – never give up – were demonstrated daily by my father, providing living proof for me that determination, perseverance, and enthusiasm truly do bring great rewards in all aspects of life.  Since my dad was diagnosed in 1998, I have only known 3 other people to have or even have awareness of the disease, Multiple Myeloma.  Paul’s sister, Sara, saw my interview on WRAL and was just as shocked as I was to make this connection.  I truly believe every obstacle we are faced with throughout our lives is given to us for a reason and even though we may not know what that exact reason is, we can make the best out of any situation.  Please say a prayer for our friend Paul and his determination to beat this disease.  You can visit their website at www.prayersforpaul.org where you can donate to the fight against cancer and learn more about Paul!

As I’ve been writing and working, the movie Evan Almighty was playing in the background so I’ll leave you with a question from the movie to ponder…..

“If someone prays for courage, does God give them courage, or does He give them the opportunity to be courageous?”

Be courageous in all you take on!

All my love and best wishes,

Adrienne Leigh Core

Miss North Carolina 2010

Pictured with Members of the Golden Knights at Ft. Bragg’s July 4th Operation Celebration Freedom

Photo by Jordan Portrait Design

Photo by PageantPics, Lenn Long

We were very honored to be joined by a beautiful group for Former Miss North Carolina’s at our 73rd Miss North Carolina Pageant!

Front Row, left to right:

Brooke McLaurin, MNC 2005

Adrienne Core, MNC 2010

Katherine Southard, MNC 2009

Back Row, left to right:

Elizabeth Williams, MNC 1982

Dana Stephenson Christopher, MNC 1994

Lorna McNeil Ricotta, MNC 2000

Jessica Jacobs Marquardt, MNC 2007

Amanda Watson, MNC 2008

Jennifer Vaden Barth, MNC 1991

Dana Reason, MNC 2003

There are currently 27 opportunities for young women to qualify for the Miss North Carolina and North Carolina’s Outstanding Teen Pageant in June 2011!

1. Spivey’s Corner:  March 19^th, Midway High School, 7pm
2. Greater Wilmington:  Feb. 26, 2011 Roland Grise Middle School in Wilmington.
3. Statesville:  August 7, 2010  West Iredell High School
4. Greater Sandhills:  September 11, 2010 at 7pm Sandhills Comm. College, Pinehurst
5. Gaston/Gastonia:  August 1, 2010 Teen at 1pm and Miss at 4pm
6. Greater Sampson County:  October 2, 2010 7pm at Hobbton High School
7. Garner:  November 6, 2010 at Garner Historic Auditorium
8. Stanly County:  October 2, 2010 7pm at Stanly Agri Civic Center, Albemarle
9. Eastern Carolina:  September 25, 2010 at Ayden Arts and Recreation Center
10. UNCP: February 3, 2011 at 7pm Givens Performance Center
11. Moore County:  October 9, 2010 7pm Sandhills Community College
12. Greater Cape Fear/Harnett Co:  March 26, 2010 6pm
13. Lake Norman:  2/19/2011 7:30pm at Mooresville High School
14. Johnston County:  2/19/2011
15. Cabarrus County:  11/6/2010 Mt. Pleasant High School
16. Mecklenburg County:  January 2011
17. Fayetteville: October 23, 2010
18. Thomasville: February 12, 2011
19. Rowan County:  December 4, 2010  New prelim for Davidson, Davie, Forsyth and Rowan Counties!
20. Queen City/Metrolina:  Late Winter, Early Spring TBD   New Prelim Queen City closed to Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, and Union Counties and Metrolina open to the state!
21. Kinston Lenoir has confirmed for January 22, 2011
22. Coastal Carolina:  November 13, 2010  Closed to Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, and Sampson Counties
23. Capital City:  March 5, 2011
24. Goldsboro: