P a g e a n t N e w s B u r e a u

Season opener in Pennsylvania

From left, first runner-up Danae Demasi of Masontown, winner Jennifer Watkins, second runner-up Melodie May of Fredricksburg.

Lynnette Cole of Tennessee was crowned Miss USA in February 2000. The pageant "season" was over. People could relax a bit and start enjoying the reign of the new queen.

Then came March, and a new season was upon us. The first state preliminary of the Miss USA 2001 competition was held in Monroeville, Pa.

So much for relaxation. But we're not complaining. Once we saw the parade of beauty in the Keystone State, we remembered why we started following pageants in the first place.

The winner was Jennifer Watkins, 23, of Pennsylvania. The first runner-up was Danae Demasi of Masontown, and the second runner-up was Melodie May of Fredricksburg. The other two finalists were Tiffany Glenn of New Kensington and Allison Gordon of New Britain.

There's more to come in this young pageant season, lots more. But Pennsylvania was a marvelous place to start.

Photos courtesy of Carvern Productions, Inc.

P a g e a n t N e w s B u r e a u