The Miss Big Bear Pageant brought out Big Bear’s finest young ladies, as nineteen of them, in full-length gowns, graced the stage of the Performing Arts Center for Saturday evening’s scholarship competition, which resulted in a $2,500 award for the girl named Miss Big Bear 2010: 17-year-old Caroline Forry, daughter of Melissa Parker and Rich Forry, and a Valley resident since fifth grade. Former Miss Big Bears, Hayley Bracken for 2009 and Katie Bumstead for 2008, were also on hand for the pageant, which was coordinated by Britney Gonsalves, Rhonda Stensgaard and Teresa Ritenour, hosted once again by former Miss Ventura County Barbara Bayer-Coulter, and judged by five pageant professionals from off the mountain. Prior to the announcement of Miss Big Bear’s court, reigning Miss Big Bear Hayley Bracken, now a psychology major at Cal State Channel Islands, said that participating in the pageant last year brought she and the other girls together, though many of them had known each other since pre-school. Her advice to her successor, Bracken told the packed house at the PAC, “Go with the flow and have fun, because it’s a great experience if you let it take flight.” Five girls were selected for the Miss Big Bear court and, after each answering a final question, the judges selected (and awarded scholarships to) Michelle Ritenour as fourth princess, Dreama DePaiva as third princess, Ashley Rolston as second princess, Elaine Flores as first princess and, ultimately, Caroline Forry as Miss Big Bear. Forry’s final question, selected at random, posed the question “What are the qualities it takes to be a leader?” to which she answered, “someone who’s respected,” as well as being “responsible, loyal and a good friend.” Other young ladies singled out for awards at the October 3 event included Jonika Kelso, named Most Photogenic by pageant photographer Louis Weiner; Miss Congeniality, as voted by her peers, for Amber Carpenter; and the Spirit of Miss Big Bear award to Sara Dubuque, based on a consensus by pageant directors. Other delegates, all of whom trained for three months for the Miss Big Bear Pageant, included Rubi Bravo, Julia DelMorris, Kortney Foust, Ashley Harris, Shandori Harris, Claire Hird, Kimberly LaPere, Janet Lopez, Heather Martin, Stephanie Norton, and Kelly Winters.
