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Ally Brotherson

Michael Scott Photography

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Lydia Madsen

Michael Scott Photography

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Sanpete County will send two outstanding young ladies, Ally Brotherson, Miss Sanpete County 2019, and Lydia Madsen, Miss Sanpete County 2020, to compete at the Miss Utah Scholarship Competition from June 8 to 12 at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo.

Traditionally, the county only sends one young lady to represent Sanpete County, but due to COVID restrictions, last year’s competition was canceled.

Brotherson and Madsen will join 35 other candidates from the state to compete for the job of Miss Utah. The winner will be a recipient of over $10,000 in scholarships to the school of her choice and sponsorships from a variety of Utah businesses, and will also represent Utah at the 100th Anniversary Miss American Competition later this year.

Ally Brotherson, of Mt. Pleasant, will compete as Miss Sanpete County. She is a graduate of Snow College, and will be attending the University of Utah this fall as a Biology major.

When she won the title of Miss Sanpete almost two years ago, Ally immediately implemented her Social Impact Initiative and started her preparations for Miss Utah.

Although the competition date was put on hold, Ally continued her service to Sanpete County, through her Social Impact Initiative, “Give and Grow.” She has served as a member of the UServeUtah Youth Council under the direction of the Lt. Governor. She has written a monthly service-themed article for the Sanpete Messenger, and has conducted multiple service opportunities in local communities.

With an extra year to prepare for the competition, Ally has spent hours at the piano, perfecting her solo for the talent portion of the competition. “I am most excited for the Talent competition,” said Ally. I have been trained as a classical pianist by Donnell Blakham of Moroni, but I am pushing us both out of our comfort zones and will be playing a contemporary piece.”

Ally is also looking forward to the Show Me Your Shoes Parade. The parade is the opening event that kicks off the week-long competition, where each candidate wears a unique pair of shoes that usually have some significance to her hometown or area she represents, or of personal significance.

Ally will show off a custom pair of boots that are Snow College themed.

Lydia Madsen, of Fairview, will compete at Miss Utah as Miss Skyline. She is a Senior at Southern Utah University, majoring in business.

Lydia’s most favorite portion of competition is the personal interview. “I love interviewing because it gives me a chance to meet with the judges one-on-one and really express who I am,” said Madsen. “You can only learn so much about someone from seeing them onstage, so the opportunity to have an actual conversation is everything.”

One of the topics Lydia is prepared to discuss with the judges is her Social Impact Initiative, “Lend-A-Hand,” which focuses on uniting our communities through service.

During her year of service Lydia started a service club Sanpete’s Hands, volunteered at the Sanpete Pantry and the Resource Clothing Bank. She has made blankets to be donated to hospitals, partnered with Hope for the Homeless, and sponsored a charity 5K run among other service opportunities through Sanpete County.

Lydia is also looking forward to the Show Me Your Shoes parade. “It’s a fun opportunity to be with everybody and show a little bit of your personality. I’m excited for everyone to see what I have come up with.”

The Miss Utah Competition celebrates achievement in scholarship, service, style and success. “Sanpete County will be represented well this year at the Miss Utah Competition,” said Abby Ivory, director of the Miss Sanpete County organization.

“Both Ally and Lydia have dedicated untold hours to prepare for this moment. Each is talented and smart. They are successful in the classroom and have served Sanpete with heart and dedication. As a board, we are so proud and are excited for them to have this experience and compete for the job of Miss Utah. They will represent our county with class all the way.”