Savanna Gillies Crowned Miss Santaquin 2015

Santaquin City has a new queen.  Savanna Gillies (pictured left) was crowned Miss Santaquin at a scholarship pageant held at Payson High School on March 28, with the First Runner-up title going to Shaelyn Waters (right).

A stars-and-stripes setting staged Saturday evening’s Miss Santaquin Scholarship Pageant. 
Emceed by Miss Utah Karlie Major, it was a night of competition that began with five and wound down to two, new queens who will now spend the coming year representing Santaquin City.

Those new queens are Savanna Gillies, who was crowned Miss Santaquin 2015, with Shaelyn Waters named as her First Runner-Up.

Miss Gillies, who also received the pageant’s Miss Photogenic prize, is the daughter of Brian and Julie Gillies.  Miss Waters’ parents are Shane and Jennifer Waters.  Ryann Reid, daughter of  VaNika and Curtis Reid, was voted Miss Congeniality by her peers.

The pageant was a mix of competition, entertainment presented by both contestants and local talent, and recognition for a Santaquin resident whose contribution to the town is worthy of note.

The evening opened with local vocalist Devyn Olson singing The Star Spangled Banner.  Her solo would be followed, later, with vibrant 1940s-era dance performances by members of the Twist & Shout Performance Group, and Kayli Jensen and Riley Bastian.

Outgoing queen, Corinne Facer presented the Community Woman Award to local educator, Linda Brinkerhoff.

Miss Facer would end her role as Miss Santaquin that night with a final walk with her father, before turning over title and duties to the 2015 royalty.

Contestants and queens old and new come together for a photograph as the Miss Santaquin Pageant wrapped up, March 28: (left-right): Mary Nauta, Sharalyn Farnsworth, First Runner-Up 2015 Shaelyn Waters, Miss Santaquin 2014 Corinne Facer, Miss Santaquin 2015 Savanna Gillies, First Runner-Up 2014 Alexis Drummond, and Ryann Reid.

The excitement of the evening was evident in the beautiful smiles that followed the crowing of the 2015 Miss Santaquin Royalty.  Pictured (right): Shaelyn Waters, First Runner-Up, and the city's new queen, Savanna Gillies (center) with outgoing Miss Santaquin 2014,  Corinne Facer.