YOUR AD HERE »

Miss Strawberry Days fashion show kicks off big Glenwood Springs weekend

Megan Webber
Post Independent intern

LIVE COVERAGE

Look for Post Independent Facebook live coverage from Saturday's Strawberry Days Parade.

The Glenwood Hot Springs Pool rolled out the red carpet to host the Miss Strawberry Days Scholarship Competition Fashion Show Thursday evening. The fashion show kicked off the annual Strawberry Days weekend with 12 contestants donning local attire, followed by free poolside strawberries and ice cream.

“I always tell everybody that it’s definitely not a pageant, it’s really, truly a scholarship competition, because if it was a pageant, I would’ve lost,” said McKinley Mueller, winner of the 2017 Miss Strawberry Days scholarship.

Mueller used her $3,000 scholarship to take her to Wake Forest University, where she spent her freshman year participating in community service projects and the sorority Kappa Delta. The Miss Strawberry Days scholarship is typically offered to girls in their junior or senior year of high school as financial aid for college.



Savannah Otto, a recent graduate of Glenwood Springs High School, walked in the fashion show for her second time this week. She plans to attend Kansas State University in the fall.

“I just wanted to be a part of my community more,” she said. “It just is a really great way to get involved with the community and to meet so many amazing women that are going to college just like you.”



After applying for the scholarship competition in the spring, each contestant found a local business to sponsor them in the contest. For their three outfits of the evening, each contestant was assigned a beach attire outfit from the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs Shop, created an outfit of their own to fit the Strawberry Days theme, “Oh, the Places We’ll Go,” and was assigned a local retail store whose pieces they wore.

Some of the local businesses that provided outfits for the evening included Factory Outdoor, Mona Lisa’s, Summit Canyon Mountaineering, Treadz, Sunlight Ski & Bike Shop and Basalt’s Heirloom.

The individual creative outfits that were designed by the contestants ranged from balloons to simple nursing scrubs, although they all followed the theme of the weekend. The girls each chose to emphasize something important to them to show the places they wish to go in the future and manifest it on their outfit. The motifs included travel, adventure, education and even a map of Glenwood itself folded into a skirt.

Contestant Brittany Rhodes wore her favorite anonymous quote on her shirt, which read, “You rise by lifting others.” Attached to her outfit were several colorful balloons, a popular accessory among the applicants.

Each applicant was judged on several criteria, such as enthusiasm, poise, teamwork, knowledge of the history of Strawberry Days, a personal interview and the application itself. The winner of the competition will be announced on Friday evening at Sayre Park.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.