Miss Boulder City to make first appearance at July 4 parade

By Jinae West

Thursday, July 2, 2009 | 1 a.m.

Michelle Coe said her friends jokingly refer to her as “Miss B.C.” or “Miss Boulder City.”

“It’s like they’re making fun of me, but I won’t take that,” Coe said, smiling. “I just proudly nod my head and say, ‘Yes, I am.’”

Coe, 18, was crowned Miss Boulder City on May 30 after beating 12 other contestants in a competition that began in February. She won a total of $4,500 in scholarship money that will go toward her education at the University of Arizona-Tucson in the fall. As part of her duties as Miss Boulder City, Coe will appear in the parade at the 61st Annual Damboree Festival on July 4.

Dawn Green, who is the pageant director and chairperson for the event, said Miss Boulder City was originally Miss Damboree. She said the name change came as a result of joining the Miss America program but is still involved with the Damboree. The festival supplies the pageant with financial support, Green said, and in return Miss Boulder City makes appearances at the parade.

Green said all of the winners will be present for the parade, including first runner-up Dawniel Selvig, second runner-up Cally Stanton and third runner-up Julia Jeppsen.

Coe said the Damboree will be the first event where she’ll appear as Miss Boulder City and is not sure what to expect. She’ll wear the sash, she said, as well as the tiara, but she hasn’t picked out the dress. “It can’t be too revealing, of course,” she said. “But it will be hot outside. (The parade) goes, like, 5 mph from Main Street to down to the pool. It will probably take an hour or maybe more.”

She said winning the title has meant a lot to her and looks forward to representing the city as best as she can.

“It makes me conscious of everything I’m doing, but that’s a good thing, and I just really like knowing that other people look at me like a role model,” Coe said.

Although Coe grew up in Boulder City for most of her life, she said she is excited about moving away and experiencing new people and places. Her dream is to open a restaurant, so she said she’ll be majoring in business at school.

Her parents, Harold and Karen, are both teachers in Boulder City. Coe said they’re proud of her accomplishments. “My family is really happy for me because that was a lot of money I needed,” she said, “and I think they’ve told everyone we know.”

For the talent contest of the pageant, Coe played a violin solo of “My Heart Will Go On.” In high school, she said she was actively involved in orchestra, volleyball, National Honor Society and other after-school activities. She recently performed at her last dance recital with Dance Etc. She said she’s been dancing since the age of 5.

Coe has two tortoises named Spud and Sherbert. Her favorite subject is English, “not math,” and she admitted to just finishing the novel “Twilight” and enjoying it. Coe said she is a Harry Potter fan and is considering joining a Quidditch club at her college. She plans to decorate her dorm room all purple and hasn’t met her roommate in person yet, she said, but hopes they’ll get along.

For Coe, the Damboree Festival is the start of a busy summer as Miss Boulder City, but by its end, she’ll be leaving for a new town and a different change of pace. But for now, she’s still calling Boulder City home.

“I just hope I represent everyone well and they like what I’m doing,” she said. “I just want to make everyone proud and show them I deserve this.”