Tori Miller of Siloam Springs began her reign as 2016 Miss Rodeo Arkansas during a coronation ceremony held at the Cypress Barn on Saturday evening.
Miller earned the title during the Miss Rodeo Arkansas competition at the Saline County Rodeo and Fair last September. Kelsey Parmenter of Pea Ridge, 2015 Miss Rodeo Arkansas, passed the crown on to Miller during the coronation ceremony. Miller will now go on to compete for the title of Miss Rodeo America in Las Vegas next December.
About 300 fans and a dozen members of local rodeo royalty attended Miller's coronation ceremony, according to her grandmother Donetta Samuels. Mayor John Turner issued a proclamation declaring Jan. 23, 2016, to be Tori Miller Day in Siloam Springs. Pat Hutter of Springdale, who received the Women's Professional Rodeo Association Lifetime Family Heritage Award for her family's contributions to the barrel racing industry, was also a special guest at the event.
The evening began with a video of Miller receiving the Siloam Springs Rodeo Princess crown in 1999. She also holds the title of first runner-up in the June 2014 Siloam Springs Rodeo Queen contest, and she was crowned 2014 Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks in Springdale.
During the coronation Saturday, Miller was surprised with a truck sponsorship from Lewis Ford in Fayetteville. She will be given a Ford truck to drive for the next year and will be able to use it to pull her horse trailer, provided by Ranalli Farms in Tontitown, to all the events she attends with her horse. She was also surprised by a $1,000 sponsorship for custom clothing by Designs by Sherry.
Local rodeo royalty were presented and honored during the event, including Lindsey Thompson, 2015 Siloam Springs Rodeo Queen. Jamie Wolf and the Wranglers provided entertainment, and Jeff Lee, an up-and-coming Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association announcer, emceed the event.
Joe Lester, of Bar Broken Heart Saddlery in Kansas, Okla., escorted Miller as she debuted her Miss Rodeo Arkansas chaps. Lester designed the chaps and is the sponsor of all her leather goods.
After dinner and dancing, Miller ended the evening with a performance of Barbara Mandrell's "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool." Rausch Coleman Homes, also the headline sponsor of the event, was the winner of the bid to hear Miller sing, Samuels said.
As Miss Rodeo Arkansas, Miller said she plans to share her passion for rodeo with everyone she meets and promote the western way of life. Over the next year she will be traveling to rodeos and events across Arkansas and the country.
Miller considers Siloam Springs to be her hometown. She attended elementary school in Siloam Springs before graduating from Shiloh Christian School in Springdale at age 16. She attended Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., on a full ride scholarship for singing and earned her Bachelor's degree in English. While at Liberty University she traveled the country singing and speaking with Sounds of Liberty, visiting 42 states and 10 Canadian provinces.
After completing her reign as Miss Rodeo Arkansas and her bid for Miss Rodeo America, Miller plans to earn her Master's degree in broadcast journalism and hopes to pursue a career in rodeo commentating, adding to the number of female voices that represent the sport.
More information about Miller and the Miss Rodeo Arkansas event is available at www.missrodeoarkansas.com.
General News on 01/27/2016