Photo: missamerica.org
A parade honoring Fayetteville’s Savvy Shields, who was recently crowned Miss America 2017, is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at the intersection of Dickson Street and Highland Avenue.
The parade will proceed west on Dickson Street to end at the Greek Theater on the University of Arkansas campus. A celebration will follow at 5 p.m. with musical performances by Madison Watkins, Frank Byers, and Trey O’Dell.
According to a news release, meet-and-greet opportunities will be available with Miss America, Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, Miss Arkansas, Miss Arkansas’ Outstanding Teen, Miss Mississippi, Miss South Carolina, Miss Washington, Miss New York, Miss Tennessee, Miss Oklahoma, and Miss Alabama.
To coincide with the celebration, Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan has proclaimed Oct. 22 as “Savvy Saturday” in honor of Shields.
Shields beat out 51 other contestants to become the third Miss Arkansas to win the pageant. Actress Grace Elizabeth Ward (who later changed her name to Elizabeth Gracen), of Russellville, was crowned as Miss America in 1982, and Donna Axum, of El Dorado, won the pageant in 1964.
From the news release:
Savvy’s hometown is our very own Fayetteville, Arkansas. She is a 21-year-old senior at the University of Arkansas, majoring in Art with a minor in Business. She won a $50,000 scholarship award and the title of Miss America 2017 in September. Savvy will travel the country on a year of service to promote her personal platform, “Eat Better, Live Better,” which aims to educate people on how the foods we eat make an impact on our lives as a whole. During her year, she will also serve as the National Goodwill Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Savvy hopes to use her time as Miss America to advocate for change in the mindset of people across our nation by encouraging them to embrace a lifestyle that can drastically improve their health.
