Karson Salmon crowned Dogwood Queen

I'm proud to say I attended the Dogwood Queen Pageant on Thursday night at the Palestine Civic Center where five very talented girls were showcased as they competed for the 2009 Dogwood Queen title.

Slocum High School student Karson Salmon won the competition, but the other ladies were very talented as well.

The other contestants included students Teri Klauser, Sarah Pacheco, Jennifer Spilman and Kaitlyn Stanaland.

All of the girls had amazing talent whether they sang, danced or performed a skit. And if it wasn't for this event, I don't know if those of us who didn't know the girls personally would have known they were this talented. So it's nice to know we have many who are talented in our area.

And the girls were competing for a scholarship, which this year was worth $1,200. So girls, you might want to consider entering next year.

I also wanted to commend the girls for their thoughtful answers during the question and answer session. The girls did a very good job of giving good answers. And I know that's hard to do when you are put on the spot, especially in front of an audience.

All of these girls are headed to bright futures -- and all of them plan to attend college. Congratulations to all of them as they head into their future.


Read our full story here and check out our photo gallery here.