By Devynn Barnes
The Mrs. Indiana America title is rooted in tradition, community service and Indiana pride. The requirements to enter the pageant are few: you must be a woman, over the age of 18 and must have been married for six months. According to the executive state director and former title-holder, Julie Dilorenzo, the payoffs are many.
The Mrs. Indiana pageant has been a part of Dilorenzo’s life since after she won the title in 2000.
“After I gave up my title, I joined the board and helped out with the pageant for several years,” she said. “I lost track of the program for a couple years after that, but friends kept asking how to get involved with competing.”
Dilorenzo said all the signs pointed back to Mrs. Indiana, and now she is planning the 2015 pageant.
“Right now I have 10 contestants, but I am still accepting until May 15,” she said. “I’m excited. I’ve gotten a lot of support.”
The current Mrs. Indiana title-holder is Shelly Walters from Carmel, Indiana. Walters went to Zionsville High School and attended Purdue University for a BA in telecommunications. Today, she works as a real estate agent as well as with the Good Samaritan Society of Hamilton County and the Hamilton County Humane Society. Her platform is “Make Good Decisions,” which is an extension of the Indiana Lifeline Law.
On June 14, Walters will pass on her crown to the next Mrs. Indiana, who will compete in the America pageant in September, location TBA. The competition includes three elements: an interview, a one-piece swimsuit portion and an evening wear portion. The prize package for the winner is valued at over $5,000 and includes the trip, as well as the primping and pampering that goes with it.
For Dilorenzo though, the relationships that come from the pageant are the real reward. “A lot of us all stay in touch,” she said of the former winners. “We see each other a couple times a year. There is a really great sisterhood and bond that it created in our state.”
For more information about the pageant or how to enter, visit www.mrsindianaamerica.com.
