Press RegisterDaniela Werner
The America's Junior Miss class of 2010 and host families spent Sunday afternoon under a blistering sun, enjoying the sand, a dip in the Gulf of Mexico and boiled shrimp at the Holiday Isle luxury condominium on Dauphin Island's west end.
While there wasn't a smidgen of oil in sight, thanks to some beach clean-ups crews brought in by the Holiday Isle, the disaster still weighed on the minds of some Junior Misses.
"I'm taking an environmental science class, and we talk so much about the oil spill," said Mattie Bergeson, Washington's Junior Miss. "It's heartbreaking to see how many years into the future this is going to affect us.
"It's our job as citizens that live in this world to help it along," she said, adding that she hopes a speedy solution to the spreading oil slick is found soon.
"I'm really shocked that they haven't done anything to prevent future oil spills," said Alaska's Junior Miss, Roisin Nakada. "It's really shocking to come down here and seeing how badly it's affecting everybody."
Their oil-free day of beach fun was put on by the Dauphin Island Chamber of Commerce, which has hosted the AJM beach party for four years. This was Holiday Isle's first time bringing an AJM event to its beachfront property.
"We're very pleased to have this wonderful facility for AJM's event," said Kathryn Carver, the chamber's vice president.
"The girls get the best of both worlds here," said AJM's finals Chairman Pam Patterson. "They have a cool place with a pool to relax, and the beach is pristine."
Patterson added that it's nice of Dauphin Island organizations to host AJM events "in the wake of all that's going on" with the oil spill.
Before they could finally hit the beach and work on their tans, the girls took a tour of historic Fort Gaines, where workers fired a cannon for them. It caused a few of the girls to jump.
"There were a few screams, maybe from me," admitted a grinning Meredith Gaufin, Utah's Junior Miss. "It was exciting."
"I've read about Fort Gaines in my textbooks, so it was really cool," said North Dakota's Junior Miss, Adeeti Katti. "Now I'm not going to forget it."
The girls relaxed poolside and on the beach before indulging in a generous shrimp dinner that the chamber provided.
But the sandy beaches remained the main attraction, especially for Junior Misses hailing from northern states.
As a Utah resident, Gaufin said, she doesn't get to play on many beaches.
"That feeling of sand between your toes -- there's nothing like it," she said. "We're so lucky today to be able to enjoy a beautiful beach without that oil."
