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Erika Hebron danced to a song about being “Brave” and when she took the stage Saturday night to hear the results of the Miss Missouri 2010 competition, she wasn’t scared of being defeated.
“I was actually so calm that it was kind of scary because I didn’t even know what to think,” she said, moments after being crowned. “I just had a great experience.”
Competing as Miss Gateway St. Louis, Hebron beat out 23 other contestants for the title and will now face winners from 49 other states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands at the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas in late January 2011.
Between now and then, Hebron said she will be busy with many tasks.
“I look forward to just getting out there and promoting my platform, the Children’s Miracle Network and the Miss Missouri organization,” she said.
Standing on a stage packed with family, fans, photographers and pageant officials moments after the state pageant ended, Hebron said the victory was an emotional one for her.
“I’m so overwhelmed right now,” she said. “I haven’t even cried yet, I’m so happy.”
Hebron, who finished as a Top 10 finalist in the 2009 pageant and won the evening wear preliminary, had earlier in the competition tied with with Miss Kansas City Kari Gai for a victory in the talent preliminary. Hebron performed a lyrical dance to the song “Brave,” during which she impressed judges and the audience with her graceful performance.
The top 10 finishers recognized Saturday were Miss Audrain Abby Grimmett, Miss Lake of the Ozarks Sydney Friar, Miss Metro St. Louis Claire Thorpe-Klinsky, Miss Northeast Counties Mary Bauer, Miss Pulaski County Tippe Emmott, Miss River City Erin Bagby, Miss Kansas City Kari Gai, Miss Gateway to the West Katy Reed, Miss Springfield Jessica Sullivan and Hebron.
In all pageant contestants were awarded a total of $35,750 over the four days of competition. The Miss America pageant annually gives more than $45 million in scholarships.
Before the Miss Missouri winner was announced Saturday, several other girls were awarded scholarships. Bagby and Reed were each awarded $150 for their victories in evening wear preliminaries conducted Wednesday night; Bagby, Gai and Thorpe-Klinsky were each awarded $150 for their victories in interview preliminaries. Miss Texas County Jennifer Terry won the Show-Me Excellence Award, established in honor of the pageant’s 40th anniversary in Mexico, and was awarded $200; Miss Greater Kansas City Lauren Alumbaugh was awarded $1,000 for academic achievement;
Miss Springfield Jessica Sullivan was awarded $1,000 for community service and two other contestants were recognized for their accomplishments in giving back. Miss Northeast Counties Mary Bauer was awarded $500 by Commerce Bank for outstanding community service and Miss Gateway to the West Katy Reed was awarded a $250 scholarship in honor of outgoing Miss Missouri 2009 Tara Osseck.
Gai and Hebron were awarded a $200 scholarship for finishing with the most points in the talent competition; Miss Branson Jeni Tixon and Miss Texas County Jennifer Terry won a $250 scholarship for the non-finalist talent award; Miss Jackson Darbi Fuhrman won $500 for the non-finalist swimsuit award; Miss Spirit of St. Louis Claire Thorpe-Klinsky won $500 for the non-finalist interview award and Miss River City Erin Bagby won $500 for the first-time contestant award.
Winning a $1,500 scholarship, Bauer was named fourth runner-up; third runner-up Friar received a $2,000 scholarship, second runner-up Gai received a $3,000 scholarship and runner-up Bagby received a $4,000 scholarship.
In addition to the scholarship awards and the crowning of a new Miss Missouri, Saturday’s pageant featured a slideshow voiced by outgoing Miss Missouri 2009 Tara Osseck, who was also recognized onstage and given flowers by family and friends.
Nineteen former Miss Missouri winners, including Osseck, participated in a production number in honor of the pageant’s 40th anniversary in Mexico and Miss America 1990 Debbye Turner also spoke to the audience on large projected screens from her home in New York, the last of several former winners to reconnect with the pageant via the Internet.

	Miss Audrain, Amelia Gandara, joined her Little Sister, Morgan Gish for lunch at school. As you can see Morgan is not the only child who enjoyed the visit.
	Haley Culwell of Lake St. Louis met her Big Sister, Erika Hebron, Miss Mid-Missouri, at O’Charley’s for lunch.
	Malorie Howe, Miss Pulaski County wrote: “My little sister suffers from CF, and I recently attended a charity event with her family. It was a walkathon. We had such a blast. In the photos Madeline is my Little Sister and Ava (Madeline's sister, also with CF) is Courtney Roe's, Miss Mark Twain Lake, Little Sister and Kara Adam's, Miss Kansas City Premier, Little Sister, Maggie Huffman. Maggie is a family friend of the Wilson's.” All of the girls are from Mexico.
	Lindsey Rich, Miss Gateway to the West, met her Little Sister, Sarah Kasubke of Mexico, at Contestant Orientation.
	Annie Ferrell and Tara Osseck, Miss Lake of the Ozarks, have been sisters for so long that they decided it was time for a “family portrait.”
	Contestant News: Tara Osseck, Miss Lake of the Ozarks, works at LeBonhuer Children’s Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Recently, Miss America, Katie Stam, spent the day at the hospital. Tara had the pleasure of facilitating the visit and escorting Katie for the day.