FAYETTEVILLE — Hailey Hudson’s bid for Miss North Carolina will have to wait until 2021.
Citing the coronavirus and the Miss America pageant being postponed later in the year, the Miss North Carolina pageant announced it will postpone its competition to June of next year. The pageant had previously postponed the event to July 30, 31 and Aug. 1.
Hudson, a rising sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill, was crowned Miss Fayetteville Dogwood Festival on May 2. The East Bladen High School alum earned a $1,500 scholarship with the victory in the virtual pageant.
Hudson, the daughter of Shannon and Amy Hudson, is in the Honors College at Carolina. She was on the Dean’s List her freshman year and is a double-major in political science and public relations.
In a release Friday, the state pageant’s executive director said safety was the primary concern.
“Our board collected feedback from our local organizations and titleholders regarding the competition and the impact of COVID-19,” Beth Knox said. “The safety of our local organizations, titleholders and their families as well as the current economic situation played a large factor in our decision.”
The Miss America competition, where the state winner advances, had earlier said it would postpone this year’s event to the fourth quarter of 2021.
This year’s Dogwood Festival was not held because of the virus. The pageant, however, went on with prerecorded segments for talent and evening gown, and the interview segment conducted through Zoom. Hudson sang “Desperado” and her platform was social media safety.
The competition attracted 27 entrants. First runner-up was Jazlyn Washington.
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