Three new titleholders representing the Miss Watauga Valley Scholarship Pageant were crowned Saturday evening.

After the contestants’ scores were calculated Kelsi Walters was named Miss Watauga Valley 2018, Rachel McFarling was named Miss Watauga Valley’s Outstanding Teen, and Reese Albright was named Miss Iris Watauga Valley Teen.

Walters is from Petros, Tennessee, and attends Tennessee Tech. She received a $1,500 scholarship from the family of Jim and Edna Potter, who founded the Miss Watauga Valley Pageant in 1985.

The judges named Alley Morgan, of Greeneville as the first runner up to the Miss Watauga Valley title. She received a $200 scholarship from the Potter family.

Contestants for the Miss Watauga Valley title competed in a private interview with the judges, an on-stage single question interview, swimsuit, evening gown, and talent events. A panel of five judges scored each contestant on each phase of the competition. The high and low scores were thrown out to calculate each contestant’s score.

For the talent competition, Walters sang “Someone Like You,” by Adele. Morgan sang “House of the Rising Sun” for her talent performance.

The contestants selected Maya Day, who placed as second runner up, as Miss Congeniality for the pageant.

In June 2018, Walters will travel to Jackson, Tennessee, to compete for the Miss Tennessee title.

Contestants for the Miss Watauga Valley’s Outstanding Teen title competed in interview, talent, evening gown, and lifestyle and fitness events.

For her talent performance, McFarling sang “If I Had My Way.” McFarling is from Corryton, Tennessee, and attends Gibbs High School.

McFarling will go on to compete for the title of Miss Tennessee’s Outstanding Teen in March 2018 in the pageant in Jackson, Tennessee.

Those competing for the title of Miss Iris Watauga Valley Teen compete in the evening gown and lifestyle and fitness events. Albright was selected as the winner from a field of three competitors, which also included Lana Broyles and Harley Thompson.

Albright will go on to compete for the title of Miss Iris Tennessee Teen in March 2018 at the pageant in Jackson, Tennessee.

Saturday evening’s pageant featured performances by both former and current title holders.

Brittany Kyte Whitson, a former two-time Miss Watauga Valley in, performed the opening number for the pageant and also served as the master of ceremonies for the evening. Former Miss Watauga Valley Elizabeth Painter performed two songs during the evening.

Miss Tennessee’s Outstanding Teen Autumn Arsenault, from Greeneville, played the violin and Miss Iris Tennessee Teen Peyton Jones performed a dance with Miss Watauga Valley’s Iris Princess Kaylyn Simerly.

Jones and Arsenault also served the pageant by crowning the new titleholders. Last year, Jones, of Fayetteville, was selected as the Miss Watauga Valley Teen Princess during last year’s pageant. The Miss Tennessee Organization later changed the title to Iris Teen. Jones went on to capture the state title of Miss Iris Tennessee Teen.