Welcome, everybody, to Midday Magazine for this Monday, October 14th, 2024.
Have your host, James J. Mailov here, and welcoming into the studio.
Some of our Miss Wisconsin Rabbits team contestants for the top 25 contest coming up.
We'll be talking about details of that.
We'll be getting to meet the gang here, and we'll be wrapping up this series this week.
First up, we have with us, Fontana Lumin, Fontana, good to have you with us.
Thank you.
Appreciate you being here.
And Audrey Pidgeon is with us as well.
Audrey, good to have you here.
Thank you.
Appreciate the time you two, and I've got to tell you both right out the gate.
As I've mentioned to the other contestants, I've been acting since I was a kid.
I've been doing radio for two decades.
I know what it is to be in the public eye, and I could never do what you guys do.
I admire it so much.
I think it's one of the braver, cooler things that an individual can do.
Let alone at your ages.
I think it's really cool that I admire it, and you guys are going to enjoy yourselves a lot on that stage.
We're going to let the audience get to know you a little bit before that stage, though.
Kind of a preview before the preview is addressed rehearsal and all that.
I'd like to start with an origin story, Fontana, can you tell us a little bit about yourself where you're from?
Yeah, I live in poor Edwards.
Now, I do virtual online school and go to college through Fox Valley, and I have a dual credit course through Madison.
Hmm.
Congratulations.
That's really awesome.
And congrats about the college and everything.
Thank you.
That's really cool.
And Audrey.
I'm from Wisconsin Rapids.
I live in like Saratoga area.
I go to Lincoln High School.
I'm a sophomore.
And yeah, I'm a figure skater, so.
Very cool.
Very cool.
Thank you very much.
Both of you appreciate it.
Let's go right into why you would do this.
Why, why, what made you want to do this, Fontana?
So originally, the reason why I'm doing it is because I searched up things for teens to do in Wisconsin Rapids, and it came up.
And then I found out about all the scholarships you can win, all the friends you get to me, and how you can basically share your passions and help your community out.
And that's what I decided I wanted to do.
Very cool.
Audrey.
So my aunt Becca was in the pageant.
She did.
She did it.
I can't remember what year, but she was.
She got Miss Congeniality, and she was telling me all about this pageant and how I should do it, and how I have my talent, and.
How, you know, I can get it out there, and I also like dressing up and doing makeup and stuff.
So I did it for that too.
All good reasons.
All good reasons.
That's very cool.
And kind of keeping up almost a family tradition that way.
That's true.
That's very cool.
Let's talk a little bit about their talent.
And Audrey mentioned yours a little bit there, but Fontana, what will you be doing for a talent?
I'm singing.
I'm singing the song, never enough, from the greatest showmen.
I like how it builds, and how it's emotional, and the meaning behind it.
Oh, I agree with all of the above.
Boy, that feels like a, I am not a singer, but it does feel like one of those ones where you can really build, and.
And kind of show off your flexibility with your voice a little bit too.
Well, that's very cool.
Good choice.
Audrey, how about for you?
I'm going to be figures getting on something, guys.
My song isn't called Journey the Past from Anastasia, and I don't know.
I really like the song.
My mommy grew up watching Anastasia, so it's one of my favorite things.
I don't know.
I figure skating and Anastasia seem to go together pretty well.
Skating, you know, and my father is a former hockey player.
A loves figure skating, loves skating at all levels, and everything.
It's such a respect for that.
And we don't get to see that very much in the talent section of this competition.
That's kind of a fun thing to bring.
I'm pretty sure I'm the first person in Wisconsin to be doing it,
because I don't feel rollerblade, but yeah, so.
That's pretty cool.
That's pretty cool.
And it's going to be a good one out there, and it's got to feel good too,
with these skill sets that we have.
As good as you might feel or as confident as you might guys might feel about it.
Part of our job as adults is to build that confidence.
And here's an opportunity to do that, not only for yourselves,
but for us to help with that.
That's pretty cool.
We are speaking with some of the contestants, Fontana and Audrey,
from the Miss Wisconsin Rabbits Teen Competition.
We'll be telling you how you can get tickets and the details of the event coming up.
Let's get into your CSI, your platform.
What will that be, Fontana?
So, mine's called Gallup to Gross.
It's supporting Equent Therapy,
and it's because I volunteer actually at your highest crossing,
which is how I got into it.
We have the gang from Jeremiah's Crossing on all the time.
Great people.
And I love horses.
Oh, that's such a great one.
That's a strong one too.
It's one of the things that I've really admired from all the contestants
from the last couple of years, really.
The categories you guys choose,
they're not necessarily ones that we think about all the time.
They're great areas in our society.
And you guys bring in light to them.
Not only makes this competition mean that much more,
but it's very cool.
And I think it's an early tell of the kind of individuals you guys are going to be.
Because every one of you have a great, unique platform that really stands out.
And I can't speak for others, but makes me feel really good about the future.
When it comes to your minds and you guys being involved in these things.
Audrey, for you, what is your CSI?
So, mine is called Together Again Suicide.
It is bringing light to the signs of suicide and how.
And it's going to be helping teens to help other teens because I went through that.
And I wouldn't be around to share my story if some kid didn't speak up about it
and tell his parents so they could tell mine.
I appreciate that.
I appreciate you sharing that.
And that's one of the braver things I'm going to handle are here today.
I appreciate that very much.
Somebody very close to me, my cousin,
I lost her in the last year, the same thing.
And anytime we can talk about this subject.
You know, our society has done a really good job with certain things and covering certain topics.
We talk about them with a raised voice now.
We don't hush anymore.
But with that also comes understanding and diving into these topics more and more
so that we can be there for each other and really help each other and support each other.
The more we talk about these, the more it takes away a little bit of the difficulty with it and everything.
It makes it a little less uncomfortable for everybody to talk about.
But if it's uncomfortable, that's another sign.
Okay, we're not talking about this enough.
We need to talk about it more.
I appreciate that you want to take the platform and your time to be able to focus on something like that.
Both great CSI's you guys.
Both good, really good ones to be choosing.
That's nice.
I'm curious about the rehearsal process.
I mentioned I'm an actor, so I'm always curious about the behind-the-scenes stuff and everything.
How often are you all rehearsing and have you been enjoying them, Phantaya?
Yeah, so we've been going every Sunday night and then you also work with your host mom
and I love mine. She's so helpful.
Takes time out of her day to message me like when I have a question
and then you also practice at your house.
And just everyone doing rehearsal is so nice and we just have so much fun.
Good to hear.
Have you been enjoying the rehearsal process?
I have.
I made a lot of friends.
One of my good friends from omniscience school does it, Caitlin.
So it's fun seeing her.
And then I just, I have a lot of friends like my friend, Gianna.
I mean, we're just at home coming together and hanging out.
And then I met Phantana, so yeah.
It does seem like, while this is certainly helping you guys get a little more comfortable on stage
and figure out the details and the logistics of this,
it's a real great opportunity for you guys to get to know each other,
hang out, maybe make new friends, and certainly support each other.
I am blown away.
And I mentioned this to people all the chance I get,
because growing up I didn't know anything about pageants.
And I grew up to be honest with you with a feminist mother
who I thought just assumed didn't really like pageants.
But my mom really does because of the scholarships
and the availability it gives to young women
to be able to talk about subjects to matter to them.
And it's stuff as a man that just didn't, I didn't see growing up.
Even with a feminist mom, I didn't quite get.
I see the importance of these more and more as we go forward.
And it's really cool to see.
But that's again from me in an outside perspective.
When I ask the contestants, I always like to wrap up with,
if there's a young lady out there listening
to this, I'm the fence about this,
just thinking about maybe doing this when she's old enough or anything.
What would you say to that person to encourage them to be a part of this?
To just jump in.
There's so many people that are going to be there to help you.
Everyone's there going to be helping you to get where you want to go.
And it's just such a good experience and you're going to enjoy it.
Mm-hmm. Well said.
Definitely join.
I am, I was so anti-social.
I do talk a lot with my friends,
but otherwise with strangers, I never talked a lot.
And I don't have any good interview skills.
I always say like in my sentences.
So I join this to get interview skills.
And you can get interview skills, friends, make up.
They have a huge closet there with like a bunch of dresses.
It's like shopping.
So I'd say join it and you'll make so many good memories.
Both great answers, you guys.
Really good answers. Well done.
One of the things too with this,
well we don't know necessarily where you guys might go in your lives
and where your path might take you.
You know that we're probably going to do some public speaking.
You're probably going to need some confidence in that.
And you're certainly going to need some, you know,
a team working ability and some of those things.
These are all things that you can learn and grow
and fine tune through this pageant.
And us as a community can support that and help that
by showing up at the event.
We want you to have a great time.
Enjoy yourselves.
You nailed the interview here.
Certainly they did a great job here.
I could never be a judge of one of these contests.
Never, we'd be there for days waiting for me to make decisions.
I'd never be able to make a decision.
You guys are all amazing.
And thank you so much Audrey and Fontana for joining us today.
Break a leg, have a great run.
Enjoy yourselves.
Thank you.
The event is coming up just around the corner everybody.
Now there is a Friday night open dress rehearsal that is going on October 25th.
The open dress rehearsal for the show begins promptly at 6 o'clock.
Tickets are available at the door for that night.
They will have some special guests as well.
And then the whole thing kicks off October 26th at 6 o'clock at the pack.
Join them at the performing arts center right here in Wisconsin Rapids.
You can get tickets at misswisconsinrapids.org.
Misswisconsinrapids.org.
Support these kids, support the future.
We'll be having more interviews coming up later in the week right here at 97.5 FM.
13.20 AM WFHR, locally grown radio.
