Keri Balfour crowned Miss Iosco

Keri Balfour continued a family tradition by winning the Miss Iosco
County 2005 scholarship pageant.

Balfour, 20, won the competition against eight other young women.
The Miss Iosco County Pageant is a scholarship pageant for
17-to-24-year-old young women.

After being judged on a private interview, talent, swimsuit, evening
wear, casual wear and onstage questioning of the competition, Balfour
was crowned. As the winner she received a $2,200 education scholarship
and $1,000 cash for wardrobe.

“Hearing your name, with all those girls competing, it was a
complete surprise,” she said. “I couldn’t stop smiling.”

Candi Wixson, 30, the director of Young Miss Isabella and an
Executive Staff Volunteer at Miss Greater Central Michigan, has had the
opportunity of getting to know Balfour and couldn’t be happier.

“I was proud to call her a friend, but I would have been proud to
call her a daughter,” Wixson said.

Wixson has been able to watch Balfour participate in Miss Iosco
County for the past four years.

“Keri has really gotten stronger behind what she speaks about and
she stands behind it with conviction,” Wixson said. “She’s really
grown, she’s promoted her platform and learned and grown physically.”

Wixson said she also was pleased with Balfour’s talent performance.
Balfour performed a polished, technical clog dance to Aretha Franklin’s
“Think.”

“She’s gotten more technically advanced and her talent is crowd
pleasing,” Wixson said.

Balfour has tap danced for 16 years and clog danced for four years.

She is a 2002 Tawas Area High School graduate and a social work
major at CMU.

Balfour was 17 when she first started competing in pageants and
decided that it would be a great way to earn money for college.
Balfour’s older sister Kristen Balfour, who also attends CMU, started
competing in pageants at 17 and is now Miss Great Lakes 2005. Balfour’s
little sister Katie Balfour, began participating in pageants at the age
of 10. She is now Miss Junior Iosco County at the age of 13.

This June, Keri Balfour will go and observe the Miss Michigan
pageant and watch her sister Kristen participate in the Miss Michigan
pageant. Balfour will compete in June 2006.

As Miss Iosco County, she will be attending the Iosco Fourth of July
parade and the Iosco County Fair.

“By winning the pageant it allows me to work with individuals who
create and implement volunteer programs within Iosco County as well as
at CMU,” Balfour said.