The Miss Wool of America Pageant was a showcase of wool-related merchandise. It was an annual event organized by the National Wool Growers Association (U.S.), American Sheep Producers Council, and the Wool Bureau, Inc. at San Angelo, Texas, from 1952 to 1972. Originally a Texas-only event (the Miss Wool of Texas Pageant), it attracted wider entrants from 1958 and evolved into a national pageant. The winner would tour nationally wearing the latest in woolen fashion to promote the industry.
The event was originally known as the Miss Wool of Texas Pageant and first began in 1952. [1] : 47 [2] The purpose of the event was primarily to celebrate the thriving sheep and wool industry of San Angelo, Texas. [2] A young lady would be chosen to represent the wool industry in Texas as "Miss Wool" for a year. [1] From 1958, contestants from various wool-producing regions of the United States competed. The event evolved into the Miss Wool of America Pageant, with Miss Wools from various states competing for the national title. [2] [1] : 47
Miss Wool would go on tour dressed in the latest woolen fashions, representing the industry on a national level. [1] : 57–60 [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Eighteen-year-old Cheri Slikker, in 1963, was the youngest winner of the title. [10]
The American Sheep Producers Council, National Wool Growers Association, and the Wool Bureau were the sponsors. They funded a televised version of the competition in its later years which included the appearance of movie stars and popular musicians. [9] The 1968 Miss Wool Pageant was broadcast live on color television. The hosts for the program were Jane Morgan and Donald O'Connor. [11] [12] In 1970, Nancy Ames and singer Jack Jones hosted the pageant. [13]
The first Miss Wool winner was Kathryn Gromatski in 1952. [1] : 47 Winners of titles since then have included:
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal wool.
Sutton County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,372. Its county seat is Sonora. The county was created in 1887 and organized in 1890. Sutton County is named for John S. Sutton, an officer in the Confederate Army.
Mills County is a county located in Central Texas, United States. It was created on March 15, 1887, from parts of four existing counties—Brown, Comanche, Hamilton, and Lampasas—and named after John T. Mills. The 2020 census reported a population of 4,456. The county seat is Goldthwaite. A long-time resident of the county quipped that residing here is the closest a person could get to living in Mayberry.
San Angelo is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert to the southwest, Osage Plains to the northeast, and Central Texas to the southeast. According to the 2020 United States Census, San Angelo had a total population of 99,893. It is the principal city and center of the San Angelo metropolitan area, which had a population of 121,516.
Mohair is a fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. Both durable and resilient, mohair is lustrous with high sheen, and is often blended to add these qualities to a textile. Mohair takes dye exceptionally well. It feels warm in winter due to excellent insulating properties, while moisture-wicking keeps it cool in summer. It is durable, naturally elastic, flame-resistant and crease-resistant. It is considered a luxury fiber, like cashmere, angora, and silk, but is more expensive than most sheep's wool.
Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fiber obtained from cashmere goats, pashmina goats, and some other breeds of goat. It has been used to make yarn, textiles and clothing for hundreds of years. Cashmere is closely associated with the Kashmir shawl, the word "cashmere" deriving from an anglicization of Kashmir, when the Kashmir shawl reached Europe in the 19th century. Both the soft undercoat and the guard hairs may be used; the softer hair is reserved for textiles, while the coarse guard hair is used for brushes and other non-apparel purposes. Cashmere is a hygroscopic fiber which essentially means that it absorbs water from the air. This helps regulate the body in both warm and cool temperatures by absorbing and releasing moisture based on the surrounding environment.
Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, when the organization announced it was licensing operation of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to Crystle Stewart, Miss USA for 2008 prior to her suspension in October 2022, thus returning the said pageants to the Miss Universe Organization.
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant that has been run since 1983 by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. Unlike its sister pageants Miss Universe, which currently broadcasts on JKN18 and Miss USA, this pageant is webcast on the Miss Teen USA website and simulcast on mobile devices and video game consoles. The Miss Universe Organization previously operated Miss Teen USA, as well as Miss USA, until 2020 when the rights to produce both pageants were licensed to Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart prior to her suspension in October 2022, thus returning the said pageants to the Miss Universe Organization. The parent company of all three pageants and the Miss Universe organization remains the same under the licensing agreement: JKN Metaverse Inc., a subsidiary of JKN Global Group.
Manizales is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.
Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year. The annual shearing most often occurs in a shearing shed, a facility especially designed to process often hundreds and sometimes more than 3,000 sheep per day. A working group of shearers and accompanying wool workers is known as a shearing gang.
The Miss Texas competition was founded in 1937 as a scholarship contest for young women. The winner represents Texas in the Miss America pageant; three winners have gone on to be crowned Miss America.
The Miss Chinatown USA pageant, based on Chinese communities within the U.S., greets delegates around the country. The pageant has been an annual Lunar New Year event since 1958. The winners of this pageant represent the Chinese community and act as ambassadors promoting Chinese culture and heritage.
The New York State Sheep and Wool Festival is an annual gathering of fiber-arts enthusiasts in the United States that draws approximately 30,000 visitors and more than 300 vendors. It is held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York.
The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival an event featuring domestic sheep and wool. It is held at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, Maryland.
Miss National Sweetheart is a United States beauty pageant created in 1941 where runners-up from the Miss America state pageants are invited to Hoopeston, Illinois to compete for the title of Miss National Sweetheart, and the name of the title held by the winner of that pageant.
The United States has continuously sent a representative to Miss World since its inception in 1951. The United States has won the Miss World crown three times in 1973, 1990 and 2010. Currently, Miss World America is the official national pageant that selects the contestant from the United States to Miss World.
The Salish Wool Dog or Comox dog is an extinct breed of white, long-haired, Spitz-type dog that was developed and bred by the Coast Salish peoples of what is now Washington state and British Columbia for textile production.
The Dalesbred is a breed of domestic sheep originating in England. Derived from the Swaledale and Scottish Blackface breeds, the Dalesbred is a northern hill breed distributed in the Yorkshire Dales and into Lancashire. The Dalesbred is genetically distinct from the other northern hill breeds, the Herdwick and Rough Fell.
Miss Universe Malaysia is an annual national beauty pageant and an organization that selects Malaysia's representative to the annual Miss Universe contest. On occasion, when the winner does not qualify, a runner-up is sent.
The history of the domestic sheep goes back to between 11,000 and 9,000 BC, and the domestication of the wild mouflon in ancient Mesopotamia. Sheep are among the first animals to have been domesticated by humans. These sheep were primarily raised for meat, milk, and skins. Woolly sheep began to be developed around 6000 BC. They were then imported to Africa and Europe via trading.
Did you know that, for twenty glorious years, the city of San Angelo, Texas, hosted the Miss Wool of America Pageant?