Sharwan Smith, 19, a St. George resident and descendant of Hyrum and Mary Fielding Smith, was crowned Saturday night as queen of the Days of '47.
Smith was chosen from among 40 contestants, all of whom had pioneer ancestors who entered the Salt Lake Valley before May 10, 1869, in competition held in the Sons of Utah Pioneers Building, 3301 E. 2920 South. First attendant is Megan Morgan, 25, of Salt Lake City, and second attendant, Karen Wilcox, 19, of Syracuse, Davis County."I think I'm overwhelmed," said Smith after her victory. "I'm very grateful."
She is a daughter of Hyrum and Gail Smith and is finishing her sophomore year at Southern Utah State University in Cedar City. She is majoring in physical education with a double minor in music and Spanish.
Morgan, a Brigham Young University graduate, is working as a project manager in technology at LeTECH International and Co. in Salt Lake City. Morgan, a daughter of Karen and Jerrold Morgan of Salt Lake City said, "The most valuable thing about a pageant is that it helps you focus on what really matters and what you can contribute to society." Morgan felt most importantly that it was a personal victory for her because she had done the best she could. Wilcox said she became interested in the pageant when she was watching the Days of '47 Parade and saw the queen and attendants look right into the camera and thought, "I want to do that." Wilcox, a daughter of Floyd and Gaylene Wilcox, will be a sophomore at Snow College, where she is studying communications.
The competition began at 7:45 a.m. with personal interviews. The contestants were then judged on appearance, walk and carriage, poise, beauty and charm, ease on stage, and ability to answer questions.
"The main goal is to represent the Days of '47 celebration, to be an ambassador to the state of Utah, and to honor our pioneer heritage," said Virginia Boogert, pageant chairwoman. "I don't know of any royalty that appears before the public more than the Days of '47 Royalty."
The two alternates chosen were Melanie Fillmore and Haylee Yergensen.