Ennice woman to represent the region in beauty pageant

One of Alleghany's own has captured the crown of Miss Mount Airy, a somewhat misleading title that means she will be representing a five-county area that includes Alleghany, Wilkes, Surry, Yadkin and Stokes.

Keenia Spurlin of Ennice won the pageant earlier this month.

Spurlin is a former Miss Alleghany and is the daughter of Doug and Pam Hoke of Ennice and the late Larrie Spurlin. Spurlin was also named winner of the talent and swimsuit division of the pageant. As part of winning Miss Mount Airy, Spurlin will be competing in the Miss North Carolina pageant in June.

"This is something I enjoy doing and I have always had fun being in preliminary pageants," Spurlin said. More work is put into preparation for the pageant than some may realize.

Spurlin spends about two hours each day in expectation for the talent and swimsuit portion of the program. This is in addition to the responsibilities she has inherited as Miss Mount Airy.

Spurlin stated that the name of the pageant may be changed for next year's event.

"The Miss America organization stresses the importance of young women becoming more involved with their communities by choosing a community service they feel strongly about," stated Spurlin. "I chose to work with the Adopt-A-Highway program in hopes of making the counties I represent cleaner."

Spurlin will be responsible for cleaning two miles of highway in each of the counties she represents. Along with the actual clean-up, she plans to work with elementary schools in the region informing the students of the importance of having litter-free roadways.