Miss Mississippi Wins Pageant Prelim

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Day two of preliminary competition in the Miss America pageant gets underway Wednesday night in Atlantic City.

Contestants from Mississippi and New Hampshire won the first night of preliminaries.

Miss New Hampshire Samantha Russo won the talent competition by singing a Barbra Streisand song from the musical “Funny Girl.”

Miss Mississippi Chelsea Rick won the swimsuit competition.

Preliminary competition runs through Thursday.

The traditional “show us your shoes” parade on the Boardwalk is Saturday, followed by the nationally televised crowning of the new Miss America Sunday night.

The pageant began in Atlantic City in 1921. It’s back after six years in Las Vegas.