2016 Miss Alabama contestants kick off pageant week at Brookwood Village

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The 2016 Miss Alabama Pageant week kicked off with the annual autograph party at Brookwood Village, Sunday, June 5, 2016. The eight finalists for the Community Service Award - Shea Summerlin, Cassidy Jacks, Briana Kinsey, Mi'a Callens, KeLeigh Edwards, Hayley Barber, Megan Smith and Chelsea Yarber - were announced during the event. (Tamika Moore/tmoore@al.com)

Tamika Moore | tmoore@al.com

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By Tamika Moore | tmoore@al.com
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on June 05, 2016 at 5:30 PM, updated June 05, 2016 at 6:21 PM

Miss Alabama contestants greeted fans, friends and family at Brookwood Village to kick off the 2016 Miss Alabama Pageant week. The annual autograph party was the first of many activities the group will take part in this week. The 47 contestants represent the winners of Miss Alabama preliminary pageants throughout the state.
Preliminary competition for the for 2016 Miss Alabama Pageant starts Wednesday June 8, 2016 and continues through Friday. The finale, where the new Miss Alabama will be crowned, starts at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 11, 2016.
Before introducing the young women and Tiara Pennington, Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen 2016, one by one, reigning Miss Alabama Meg McGuffin spoke briefly about her time as Miss Alabama.  She spent the past year traveling throughout the state to promote her personal platform "Healthy is the new Skinny."

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 "I really challenged the state of Alabama to redefine beauty, not as reflection in the mirror, but as what type of people we are, the way we make others feel and the way that we serve our communities," she said during the event.
Community service is an integral part of the Miss Alabama and Miss America scholarship programs. Each contestant has a personal platform that helps to improve the quality of life of others in their communities, work and schools. Participants in the local, state, and national Miss America organization also support Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and programs. The Miss Alabama organization placed fourth in the country for fundraising during the Miss America Serves 2016 day of service.
Finalists for the 2016 Catherine Crosby Long Community Service Award were announced during the autograph party. The finalists will interview with a panel of community leaders this week to determine the scholarship winners. Long, a Birmingham litigator, was Miss Alabama 2003 and the national winner of the 2004 Miss America Pageant Quality of Life community service award. The eight finalists were:

• Shea Summerlin, Miss Center Point: All In for Alzheimer's 
• Cassidy Jacks, Miss Trussville: Feed a Soul, Fill a Heart
• Briana Kinsey, Miss Leeds Area: Daring to Defeat Diabetes
• Mi'a Callens, Miss Birmingham: Beyond the SurFACE (empowers youth by building self-esteem and character.
• KeLeigh Edwards, Miss Phenix City, "Give Me 5" (teaching youth benefits of volunteerism)
• Hayley Barber, Miss Shelby County: Sight for Small Eyes
• Megan Smith, Miss Metropolitan: Reach higher –Expanding College Access
• Chelsea Yarber, Miss Jefferson County: Chelsea's Cause: Putting Safety First

Jessica Procter, Miss Tuscaloosa; Allyson Nuwayhid, Miss Samford University; Miranda Freeman, Miss University of Mobile, Chandler Shields, Miss Cahaba Valley; and Madelyn Gathings, Miss Tennessee Valley; received honorable mention.
This year marked the 26th year for the event at Brookwood Village. Contestants were also hosted by Alabama Splash Adventure later in the afternoon.
To purchase tickets to the preliminaries and finale, visit the Miss Alabama website here.
Here's a look back at the 2015 finale.

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