Lizzie White is Crowned Miss Saline 2024

Lizzie White was crowned Miss Saline 2024 in the seventy-sixth annual Miss Saline Contest held at Summerfest this weekend. Erin Huetteman, Miss Saline 2023, passed the crown onto the new recipient, who was chosen from a panel of eight young women.

This year’s contestants included Madelyn Gallaher, Jillian Hayes, Britney Lin, Julianna Marini, Madylin Marshall, Carly Pufpaf, Selah Salanta, and Lizzie White.

Julianna Marini and Madylin Marshall join Lizzie White in the Miss Saline Court.

As the winner, White will receive a $2000 scholarship. First runner up, Madylin Marshall, will receive a $500 scholarship. Second runner up, Julianna Marini, will receive a $300 scholarship.

This year's panel of judges included Mayor Brian Marl, Jeffrey McLaughlin of Renew Salon and Spa, Brittany Bryant, Miss Saline 2018, Julie Picknell of Reinhart Realtors, and Amanda Coy, Miss Saline 2017.

Young ladies took turns showcasing their various talents and answering questions from the judges during the ceremony.

Each contestant received a gift bag filled with donations from local businesses. In addition, other monetary awards were granted to the young ladies in various categories.

The Academic Excellence Award was given to Carly Pufpaf. She will receive A $100 cash award for achieving the highest grade point average.

The Spirit of Miss Saline Award was given to Lizzie White. She will receive a $100 cash award for her leadership roles, extracurricular activities, community service and ambassadorship.

The Saline Community Service award was given to Madilyn Marshall, who will receive a $100 cash award. Marshall was also the winner of the Miss Congeniality Award, and will receive an additional $100 cash prize.

The emcees for this year’s event were Erin Huetteman, Miss Saline 2023, and Sophia Bauman, Miss Saline 2022.

Organizers Kim Bryant and Molly Coy were thankful for all of the support shown to the contestants for sponsoring the scholarships each year.

“Our contestants yesterday got to participate in Stuff the Bus. This was our fourth year that Stuff the Bus partnered with Summerfest, taking the bus and moving it all around the community,” Coy said. “ Our ladies worked in two shifts, the morning and the afternoon, spending the day hopping on and off the bus collecting thousands of supplies. It was an amazing experience for them, all to benefit Saline Area Social Services and to benefit our community.”

In the year ahead, contestants will be encouraged to participate in other community building events, such as the Build a Scarecrow contest, the holiday parade, and the collections for Toys for Tots.

“All of the contestants are now part of the Miss Saline family, and we are so proud of you,” Coy said.

Erin Huetteman reflected on her year serving as Miss Saline, and shared some of her favorite experiences.

“One of my favorite events had to have been the Saline homecoming parade. It was a lot of fun to ride in the car and wave at kids and even throw a little bit of candy, even though it wasn’t allowed,” Huetteman said. “ I also really enjoyed the Toys for Tots donation drive that Miss Saline holds every year. We were able to collect over three thousand toys for children in need in our community. When people came to pick them up, they were brought to tears by all the toys that were under Mrs. Bryant’s Christmas tree.”

Huetteman also enjoyed the Valentine’s Day Tea, an event that she created for local Girl Scouts.

“I actually started the event this year, and was able to come up with it all on my own. It was for Saline area Girl Scouts. Since I’ve been a Girl Scout since Kindergarten, I was able to interact with those kids.”

Scholarships were donated by DTE and Katherine Kelly Orthodontics. Awards and prizes were donated by many businesses and individuals from the community. Portraits and all photography services were donated by Heidi McClelland, and flowers were donated by Lily Kittle of Lily’s Saline.

Coy and Bryant were thankful for the support provided by the Saline Summerfest committee, as well as all of the sponsors who donated their goods and services to make the day a success.

“Thank you to our very, very generous folks, business and community members of Saline. We really appreciate so much of what you give to celebrate each of these young ladies today,” Coy said.

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