Mrs. Nevada-America Lauren Cahlan is ready to compete in Mrs. America Pageant
This weekend, 52 contestants have arrived in Las Vegas to compete in the 2016 Mrs. America Pageant next Saturday hosted by actress Florence Henderson at Westgate Las Vegas.
Since winning the Mrs. Nevada-America Pageant in February, it has been a busy, and amazing, six months for Lauren Cahlan, a Wicked Creative public-relations executive. She penned one of our first guest columns July 23 while I was in Italy.Last Saturday at The Venetian, Lauren was “sent off in style” at her official Mrs. America Send-Off Celebration at Ben Gioielli & Co. at The Grand Canal Shoppes.
Amid a backdrop of breathtaking jewels, including the $1 million Couture Pop previously modeled by Kim Kardashian, Lauren donned a sparkly white Sherri Hill cocktail dress paired with silver Michael Kors pumps.
Attendees included Ben Cohen, owner of Ben Gioielli & Co.; Elad Assayag of Mercato della Pescheria; Michael Boychuck, owner of Color salon at Caesars Palace; Lauren’s parents, Jill and Bob Barnhart, owners of Luxurious Real Estate; and Mrs. Nevada-America queens Amanda Kouretas and Lavetta Schneider.
Here’s Lauren with her sneak peek as she told me what it takes to prepare for the Mrs. America Pageant, as well as this coming week of events leading up to Saturday’s contest:
There are no words to describe how proud I am to represent Nevada. Each day is jam-packed with events, sightseeing and rehearsals leading up to the pageant celebrating its 40th anniversary. Each contestant will compete in a preliminary swimsuit and evening gown competition Thursday, along with a private interview with judges, to determine the Top 15 to compete at the final pageant Saturday.
At that time, all contestants will shine in their opening number outfits, one-of-a-kind costumes designed to represent each state. I’m keeping mine under wraps until the big show, but I can tell you that my inspiration was my mother’s stunning costume when she competed at Mrs. America.
After all stages of competition are complete, the winner — and I will be incredibly honored if selected — will compete in the Mrs. World Pageant in Incheon, South Korea, on Nov. 4. The Mrs. World and Mrs. America Pageants are owned and produced by David and Elaine Marmel.
This year, the contestants have the privilege of working diligently to raise funds for Victoria’s Voice, a nonprofit created by Westgate owner David Siegel and his wife, Jackie, named for their daughter. Victoria died last year after a prescription overdose, something that has cut the lives short of many young adults.
The mission of Victoria’s Voice Foundation is to reduce drug experimentation, addiction and death by overdose. I know that all of the contestants feel honored to be able to contribute and raise awareness for this cause.
Battle born
Since winning my state title, it has been very important to me to represent The Silver State with pride. I have spent most of my life here, having moved to Las Vegas in 1997. My mom, dad and sisters call Nevada home, as does my husband, Shaun Cahlan, who is a sixth-generation Nevadan.
In fact, his great-grandfather, A.E. Cahlan, was monumental in creating this very newspaper. From 1926 to 1960, he transformed a 300-circulation weekly into the Las Vegas Review-Journal, boasting 27,000 subscribers. It is still the leading newspaper in Nevada today.
Throughout my reign, I have had the opportunity to work with many incredible causes including The Shade Tree, Ronald McDonald House, Best Buddies, Special Olympics, Big Brothers Big Sisters and more. But the cause I hold near and dear is children’s literacy.
My favorite memories of my year so far have been reading to and mentoring children at schools across the Las Vegas Valley. This month, I hosted a book drive to benefit Spread the Word Nevada for underprivileged students in our community.
The prep
The most important facet of being a titleholder is giving back to your community and being an exemplary role model, but there also is a lot of preparation before shining on a national stage.
Wardrobe: Every contestant is responsible for bringing an interview dress, evening gown and state costume. Generous sponsors have provided swimwear and shoes to contestants. We have eight days of events and fun, which means a lot of outfits — and definitely a lot of packing.
Fitness: I believe in living a healthy, balanced life. I also love pizza. To prep for the swimsuit competition, I’ve been following a low-carb, high-protein meal plan paired with a daily 6 a.m. workout of cardio and weights. I also swear by the electroslim treatments offered by Ria and Robey Taute at Madame et Monsieur — incredible!
Beauty: If you feel confident onstage, it will shine through. Fortunately, I have help from Georgina Vaughan for my gorgeous competition photos, Michael Boychuck for my “Boychuck Blonde” locks, Melinda Vizcarra for my stage-ready nails, Bold body bronzing for my sun-kissed (and safe!) glow and Austin Ryde for hair and makeup. It truly does take a village!
Pageant week
I can’t believe that I’m here at Mrs. America right now! This has been a dream long in the making, and it’s surreal to think that I’ll walk the same national stage my mother did 23 years ago. No matter what happens, I have the honor of representing our amazing state for another six months, which is time I will treasure forever.
The week started with a glitzy welcome reception with all contestants donning beautiful gowns to kick off the week’s festivities. We’ve also started rehearsals to learn choreography for the final show hosted by the iconic Florence Henderson.
We have several more days with lots of fun to come, so be sure to follow me on Instagram at @LaurenCahlan and @MrsNevadaAmerica and on Facebook at Facebook.com/MrsNevadaAmerica.
Interested in starting your own journey? Email Jackie McKenna at MrsNevada@yahoo.comto learn how you can compete at Mrs. Nevada-America, the official preliminary to the Mrs. America Pageant.
As your 2016 Mrs. Nevada-America, I take pride in representing our state and making you all proud. I can’t thank everyone enough for their support, including my husband Shaun, family, friends, director Jackie, colleagues at Wicked Creative and Robin Leach for giving me the opportunity to tell my story.
And in four short days, I will vie to be crowned Mrs. America. Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to represent the great state of Nevada!
http://www.reviewjournal.com/robin-leach/mrs-nevada-america-lauren-cahlan-ready-compete-mrs-america-pageant
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