• Miss Texas brings her tiara and music to Freeport

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J'Adore Lopez (right) Miss Shannon 2015, is all smiles as she has a tiara placed on her head by Shannon Sanderford, Miss Texas 2015, at a greeting held Saturday, June 11, 2016, at Union Dairy Ice Cream Parlor in Freeport. Miss Texas made multiple appearances in Freeport this past weekend. JANE LETHLEAN/CORRESPONDENT/THE JOURNAL-STANDARD
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• By Jane Lethlean
  Correspondent

  
  Posted Jun. 13, 2016 at 5:00 PM 
  
  

  FREEPORT — When J’Adore Lopez was crowned Miss Shannon in 2015, the 7-year-old was able to FaceTime via a cell phone with Shannon Sanderford, Miss Texas 2015, to talk about what it is like to wear a tiara. On Saturday, the two reigning queens were able to meet face to face at Union Dairy Ice Cream Parlor during a meet and greet with Sanderford, who was in town to visit Scott Werntz, associate pastor at Zion Church of Freeport.

  At first, Lopez was shy when she got to meet Sanderford, but as time passed, the two were hugging as Sanderford placed a tiara on the head of the young girl.

  “I am so excited to meet a real queen, with a real tiara,” Lopez said. “I love that both of us can wear a tiara, only hers is bigger.”

  Sanderford came to Freeport for a whirlwind weekend tour, which featured several local stops. Escorted by Werntz, she signed autographs, ate ice cream with about a dozen young girls and then made her way to have coffee at 9 East Coffee and greet others at Sweets and Eats Coffee Shop. The food stops were not the only highlights for Sanderford. She told her story to hundreds that came to hear her sing at Zion Church, and then she led a few men in what it was like to compete in a pageant. They even had to wear heels and participate in a talent competition. Prizes were foods made in Freeport.

  Sanderford’s ties to Freeport are through Werntz, who was her one-time creative arts director at her high school in Texas. It was Werntz who coached Sanderford in singing helping her win Miss Fort Worth, which led to her winning Miss Texas to be able to compete in Miss America, in which she placed in the top 10.

  “I’ve met a lot of people in my life and I like to bring them to my hometown, and Shannon agreed to come,” Werntz said. “What was so fun for me this past weekend as we traveled to various sites in Freeport is when Shannon was without her tiara, she went unnoticed, but when the tiara came on the cell phones came out for people to take pictures.”

  Sanderford said her platform as Miss Texas is “Everyone Matters.” She said she loved the mini tour and the stops she made in Freeport. She said the tour of the city and appearances at Zion Church reinforced her platform that people matter.

  “I will make 450 appearances in the year that I represent my state of Texas,” Sanderford said. “It is exciting for me to travel the country, and being able to come to Scott’s hometown is special. He helped me be able to do what I did in pageant competition, and to be able to also be part of his church is also special, but the best part for me is meeting the young girls. They have shy, but big smiles.”

  http://www.journalstandard.com/news/20160613/miss-texas-brings-her-tiara-and-music-to-freeport