Michelle Vegliante, of
Merrimack, was crowned Miss Stratham Fair in July and qualified to compete for the title of Miss New Hampshire 2014 with the Miss America Organization.

The Miss New Hampshire Organization is the largest source of scholarship dollars for young women across the state. To date, well over $100,000 has been awarded in scholarships.

Heat reaching 100 degrees didn’t stop the show at the 49th annual Stratham Fair, which is the major fundraiser for the Stratham Volunteer Fire Department. Contestants from across New Hampshire competed for the title of Miss Stratham Fair in the pageant, which was established in 1967.

The reigning Miss Stratham Fair, Samantha Massahos, was on hand to perform and to crown her successor on the David C. Noyes Main Stage. Also performing and speaking on her platform was the reigning Miss New Hampshire, Samantha Russo, of Nashua.

Vegliante is a 2011 graduate of Bishop Guertin High School and a Doctor of Pharmacy student at the University of New England in Portland, Maine.

The competition for the crown includes an interview with a panel of judges, talent, evening gown, an onstage question, and a lifestyle and fitness/swimsuit competition. Vegliante performed an acro-jazz routine.

During the onstage question and interview, Vegliante discussed her platform, “Get Fired Up! Ignite Enthusiasm to Volunteer!” Vegliante will spend her year promoting her platform to increase volunteer service, especially among youths in the state.

One of the many projects on which Vegliante is working is a social media site that will offer information on various volunteer activities for all ages throughout New Hampshire.

“One of the biggest obstacles with engaging youth to volunteer is access to information on service projects that a young person is interested in and passionate about,” Vegliante said. “The Facebook page I created called ‘Get Fired Up!’ offers a social media link to a number of volunteer opportunities for all ages, the requirements to participate and the contact information to get started. Hopefully, this will make it easy for youth to find a volunteer project that interests them and they can have fun participating in.

“The idea is to get youth started and keep their enthusiasm high for a volunteer project they choose and can become passionate about.”

Vegliante is an avid volunteer with a long list of service, highlighted by a mission trip to Malole, Africa, coordinator for Backpacks for Back to School drives and raising funds for the Miss America National Platform – Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Miss Stratham Fair’s first official duties included attending the fair for the weekend and thanking the hundreds of volunteers who make the fair possible each year.

Vegliante will continue her reign spreading the word about her platform and making appearances at events across New Hampshire. From May 1-3, she will take the stage as Miss Stratham Fair at the Miss New Hampshire 2014 Pageant.

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