The 30th annual Miss Marion Popcorn Scholarship Program will be held on Saturday, August 7, at the Grant Middle School gymnasium. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the program beginning at 7:00 p.m.. Tickets are $10.00 each and available at the door. This year’s theme for the festival and this event is “Peace, Love, and Popcorn”.
A special salute will open the evening’s event to honor prior and current members of all military services. Also, in celebration of this anniversary year, all prior queens are invited to return for the event and will be re-introduced during the program.
A queen and four runners-up will be named that evening. They will reign over the 2010 Marion Popcorn Festival and may also represent the festival at other events throughout Ohio. The winners will receive scholarships towards their college education.
Those vying for the title of Miss Marion Popcorn Festival are:
- Carolyn Bailey is the daughter of Jay and Diane Bailey of Marion. She is a 2008 graduate of Harding High School and is currently pursuing her nursing degree at Marion Technical College. During the talent portion of the competition, she will be performing a vocal rendition of “Free to Be Me”,
- Charlotte Baird, the daughter of Rick and Peg Baird of Marion, is a 2008 graduate of Harding High School. She is attending Otterbein University with a major in theatre and will perform a vocal rendition of “If I Loved You” for her talent competition.
- Morgan Candel is a 2008 graduate of Harding High School. She is the daughter of Chris and Linda Candel of Marion. Early Childhood Development is her major while attending The Ohio State University. “On My Own” will be her vocal selection for the talent portion of the competition.
- Nicholle Lang resides in Harpster and is the daughter of Doug and Lisa Lang. She graduated from Upper Sandusky High School in 2009. Attending Tiffin University, she is pursuing her degree in accounting. Nicholle will be Irish step dancing to “Shipping Up to Boston” during the talent competition.
- April Meyer is the daughter of Karen and Joe Meyer of Marion. She is a 2009 graduate of Pleasant High School. April is attending the University of St. Francis and pursuing a degree in nursing. For the talent competition she will be performing a baton routine to an Ohio State University medley.
In 2009, the festival also hosted the very first Ms. Marion Popcorn Festival Program. This program is for ladies 25 and over, single or married. These winners will also be crowned at the Miss Popcorn program on August 7th at Grant Middle School during the evening program. This year there are five contestants competing for the title. The winner and two runners-up will also reign over the festival and serve as representatives of the festival.
This year’s Ms. Marion Popcorn contestants are:
- Norma Castanien is a retired member of the Marion community and has three children, Jan Castanien, Jill Draper, and Dean Castanien.
- Marianne Kay Curry is a physician’s assistant at Midwest Internal Medicine. She and her husband, Craig, are the parents of three children; Marin, Leo, and Layne.
- Tammy Harrison is employed as a member service representative at the Marion Community Credit Union. She and her husband, Joseph, are the parents of Ranissa, Joseph II, and Christian Faith.
- Phyllis Hendrix is the Project Manager/Marketing at Wyandot, Inc. She and her husband, Jack, are the parents of Brad Eversole, Vickie Smith, Tim Hendrix, and Jackie Hendrix.
- Debara Tinerello is the owner/hair designer of Arts of Illusion Hair Salon. She and her husband, Barry, are the parents of a daughter, Lyndsay, and a son, Chad.
The winner of Ms. Popcorn will receive a cash prize and a gift basket. The runners-up will also receive gift baskets.
The preliminary round of Ms. Popcorn was held on Sunday, July 25, at Poppy’s Restaurant in the Blue Fusion Entertainment Center.
Held annually the first weekend after Labor Day, the Marion Popcorn Festival is currently celebrating its 30th year and is the largest popcorn festival in the world with an annual attendance estimated in excess of 250,000 over the three-day festival.
Other events include Miss Teeny Pop, Wee Little Pop, the Orville Redenbacher Popcorn Parade with over 300 units, a popcorn cooking contest, a fine art show, crafts, Popcorn 5000 5K run, Popcorn 100 bike tour, a community showcase stage, and much more.
Main stage entertainment for 2010 includes The Kentucky Headhunters on Thursday, September 9, country star Joe Nichols on Friday, September 10, and Blues Traveler on Saturday, September 11. All main stage entertainment begins at 8:30 p.m. and is free of charge. A limited number of up-front Kernel Seats are available. For more information on obtaining Kernel Seats or the full list of activities, call 740.387.FEST or visit www.popcornfestival.com.
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