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“From
A to Zia” - October
My perspective on my year as Miss Gay Arkansas America
I hope this finds everyone doing well and enjoying the cooler
weather we’ve been having. Fall
is definitely in full swing and
I for one love the fall and look forward to this beautiful season.
Phew! What a busy first month it has been… I have been traveling
throughout the state for several bookings, as well as representing
Arkansas in Memphis, TN.
I had the pleasure of accompanying my Miss Gay Arkansas America
sister, Vicki Valentine to The Miss Gay Tennessee America pageant,
where she was serving on the judges’ panel, in Memphis TN held at
Spectrum Nightclub. I initially went along to show my support for the
Miss Gay Tennessee America pageant, it’s promoters and contestants.
However, as we were getting close to our arrival, the promoters became
aware that I was going to be present at their pageant and graciously
extended an invitation to perform at their preliminary. I was beyond
thrilled and was excited to be performing as Miss Gay Arkansas America.
I also had the opportunity to have conversations with Coti Collins, Miss
Gay America as well as with the Miss Gay America National Promoters,
Larry Tyger and Terry Eason. They were very encouraging and
complimentary…I could not have asked for a better evening.
At the end of the evening Pat McCooter was crowned Miss Gay Tennessee America
with Fannie Mae
Charles being named first alternate. My congratulations goes out to Ashlyn
Tyler on her reign. Thank
you to the Miss Gay Tennessee America family for making me feel so welcome.
Next up were my bookings at Pulse Off Center and Triniti where I had the pleasure
of working with
ShaeShae LaReese, Braxton and Dominique Sanchez.
The highlight of my night was my conversation with Dominique who offered me
so much support and
praise. Thank you Dominique for our little chat and what you had to say to
me. It validates everything
that I'm doing as Miss Gay Arkansas.
The following weekend had me at Jesters in Hot Springs for Miss Gay Arkansas
USofA at Large. I was
asked to come in and sell jewelry and be part of the special entertainment
lineup. Congratulations goes
out Sasha Summers, Miss Gay Arkansas USofA and her first alternate Kayla Krawford.
Thank you to
State Promoters Lance Pace and Jerry Pearson for welcoming me into your USofA
family and for making
this America girl feel most welcome!
Next stop on my whirlwind month was Fayetteville AR. I was a judge and special
guest entertainer for
Miss Gay Fayetteville United States. This evening was so much fun! My thanks
to Promoter Adam Moore
and the staff of Tangerine for everything and to the city of Fayetteville
for receiving me so well.
Congratulations goes out Tyler Rane, Miss Gay Fayetteville United States and
first alternate Diamond
Dior. Also Congratulations to Mr. Gay Fayetteville Unites States, AJ Dickson.
Special thanks to Seth Francis for being such a great friend, Taylor Madison
Monroe – Miss Gay Arkansas
United States, State Promoter Jordan Bolton and to the Miss Gay United States
family for an incredible
evening.
Last weekend I had my meet and greet fundraiser at 610 Center. This event
was somewhat twofold…it
was part fundraiser, but it was also a chance for me to greet everyone since
winning Miss Gay Arkansas
America. This event was more than I had ever hoped for. My thanks to Steve/Champagne
and 610 Center
for hosting this event and catering the food. Also, to my friend Tim Corn
who graciously provided us with
his culinary cupcakes. I would also like to thank all of you who attended.
You will never know how much
your support means to me. I’ve said this before, but I will forever
be grateful to you.
My biggest thanks goes out to Ron Standridge who helped me and supported me
in getting this little event
together. I could not have done this without you Ron. I hope you know how
very lucky I am to have you in
my corner and to have your love and support. But more importantly, I’m
lucky to have you as my friend!
Finally, we are down to the last few days before we head out to Miss Gay America
2012 in Columbus OH.
I’ve been busy with last minute details and last minute fundraising.
I can’t wait to get to Miss America to
see old friends, make new ones and make so many new memories. This is such
an exciting part of going
to Miss America.
I know Jazmyn and I will do our best to represent Arkansas and the Miss Gay
Arkansas America
preliminary. We hope we make you all proud of us. We are both looking for
sponsorships as we head
into our finals days. If you would like to contribute, please contact either
of us. We would both
appreciate your support during this endeavor.
One thing I’m very excited about sharing with you are my recent promotional
pictures taken by Greg
Sullivan. These will be the very first official pictures of me as Miss Gay
Arkansas America. I hope to have
these soon. Be sure to check out the website and Facebook pages soon!
As I close, I leave you with this final thought; Lessons can be learned by
the simplest of actions. I was
reminded of this recently. As a female illusionist and entertainer, giving
back is where it all began for me.
I urge you to give back to someone…your neighbor, your friends or family,
your community. Make
someone smile thought a small act of kindness. I am a firm believer that what
you put out into the world
will come back to you ten-fold. I promise you, you will not regret it. I urge
you and challenge you to give
back.
I had an opportunity to be a part of a very special show recently that left
me thinking about how important
it is to give back to our community. Anyone can tell you that I began my career
as Zia with the Diamond
State Rodeo Association and that giving back was something that was always
a part of me. There are
often times you never see the recipient of the fruits of your labor or have
any idea of what the money is
being used for. You just know in your heart that what you’re doing is
a good thing. I was asked if I would
perform at a special benefit for a beautiful friend of the community who was
diagnosed and ill with cancer.
Of course I said yes and was given the information as to time and place. When
I arrived, you could
immediately sense that this was something very special. You could just feel
the energy in the room. As I
walked in, there were my sisters, Kamrin Mikaels, Megan Michaels and Stephanie
Richards, all helping the
cause. Kamrin and Megan were helping backstage and Stephanie acting as MC
and Hostess. The event was
a huge success and several thousand dollars were raised, but for me it took
a different meaning.
Again, it was about giving back and a community coming together for something
and someone very special.
Once the show was over and I had a moment, I took the opportunity to speak
with the recipient, a beautiful
woman that the community had come out to support. As I briefly chatted with
her and told her how amazing
it was that all these people were out to support her and how much everyone
loved her, she smiled and said
to me, “Thank you for being beautiful and for taking time out of your
busy schedule to make me smile”. It was
all I could do to not cry.
I’ll say it time and time again…give back. Make someone smile.
It takes very little effort on our part. I promise
you that you will receive so much more by giving back. It’s what I’ve
always done and will continue to do. I hope
that as your reigning Miss Gay Arkansas America, I can be an example of that.
With Love,
Zia D’Yor
Miss Gay Arkansas America 2011
ZiaMGAR2011@gmail.com
501-650-3373