Ashley Ruth Wheeler (born August 6, 1986) was crowned

Miss Vermont The Miss Vermont competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Vermont in the Miss America pageant. While Vermont is the only state to have never had a contestant advance to the semi-finals of the Miss America pagea ...

2008 on Saturday, April 26, 2008, in

Barre, Vermont Barre, Vermont may refer to: *Barre (city), Vermont *Barre (town), Vermont Barre ( ) is a New England town, town in Washington County, Vermont, Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,923 at the 2020 census, making it the 3r ...

Personal life

Wheeler was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, to Michael & Donna Ellsworth Wheeler. She grew up in

Lyndonville, Vermont Lyndonville is a village in the town of Lyndon, in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. Lyndonville's population was 1,136 at the 2020 census. It is the closest community to the Lyndon campus of Northern Vermont University. History In 1883 ...

Miss America

Her vocal talent was singing "The Prayer." Ashley's platform is Political Awareness Among Young Voters. She was competing for the title of

Miss America 2009 Miss America 2009, the 82nd Miss America pageant, was held on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday, January 24, 2009. The pageant was broadcast live on TLC from the Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Planet Hollywood Resort and ...

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

in January and she won a Preliminary Talent Award for her a cappella vocal performance of "

God Bless America "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run up to World War II in 1938. The later version was notably recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature s ...

." This marked the first time a representative of the state of Vermont won a preliminary award at the Miss America Pageant.

References

External links

* Living people People from Lyndonville, Vermont Miss America 2009 delegates Beauty pageant contestants from Vermont American beauty pageant winners Miss America Preliminary Talent winners 1986 births {{US-model-stub