Hurricanes, Sunshine and Crowns!!!!!

As you can imagine, here in the Mid-Atlantic region, we are bracing for Hurricane Irene.  After an earthquake earlier this week, no one is really looking forward to yet another "mean" act of nature. But in scouring the internet to make sure that I am all prepared - reading about what Floridians do when the threat of hurricanes arise, imagine my surprise this morning when I realized that three of the major Mrs. crowns won in this year have all gone to women from the Sunshine state :-)  Coincidence???

No seriously! Clearly something is going on down there in beautiful Florida, the sun, the water, the beaches.  Look at the list below to see the lovely beauties.

Mrs. America 2011 - April Lufriu from Tampa, crowned at the national pageant in April (the irony right?) at the Greenbriar Resort in West Virginia.

Mrs. United States 2011 - Shannon Ford of Miami/South Florida, crowned August 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mrs. Galaxy International 2012 - Kellie Lightbourn, who competed as Mrs. North America Galaxy in the pageant although she is from Florida, won her title on August 6th in Chicago, Illinois.

I wonder if another state can pick up this dynasty and run with it.  Whatever works, pageant peeps, whatever works!

Tampa Bay, Cape Caneveral, South Beach......Florida Wins!!!!!

Congratulations April Lufriu, (Mrs. Florida) the new Mrs. America 2011

 
She is a former Mrs. Florida Scholarship (2008), was 4th runner up to Mrs. Florida United States 2006 as well as 1st runner up to MISS FLORIDA USA 1995.

 

The Tampa Bay Online recently covered April in a great article:

With a husband, two children, a marble and granite business, her work as a dental hygienist, model and volunteering for The Foundation Fighting Blindness, April Lufriu is a very busy woman.
And she could be even busier next month, if she wins the Mrs. America crown.

Lufriu, 41, is gearing up to compete at the April 14 pageant in West Virginia against 51 other contestants. The winner will go to the Mrs. World competition.

Lufriu says she competed in a few pageants in the past, but never won a crown. She got "the itch" to try for the Mrs. Florida title because she wanted to use the crown to raise awareness about the visually impaired.  Read more