Payne heads to Miss Hospitality contest
Landry Payne, who served as Neshoba County’s Distinguished Young Woman in 2018, said her love of representing Neshoba County motivated her to compete in the Miss Hospitality contest in Hattiesburg this week.
Payne was selected as Neshoba County’s Miss Hospitality in 2019, and her goal, if she wins the state title, is to travel outside of the state and promote tourism.
“If I am named Mississippi’s Miss Hospitality I want to promote our great state to get the tourist numbers higher than they have ever been,” Payne said, noting that last year’s contest was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mississippi’s Miss Hospitality contest was established in 1949 under Gov. Fielding Wright and the state Legislature. It is designed for women ages 18 to 24 and has championed the state’s tourism and economic development sectors while supporting Mississippi’s best and brightest young women through its scholarship program.
The winner serves as the state’s official Goodwill Ambassador traveling regionally and nationally to promote Mississippi and share her story. Miss Hospitality will also enjoy her part of more than $100,000 in prizes and scholarships offered by the Miss Hospitality program.
Payne, daughter of Cindy and Paul Payne, graduated from Neshoba Central in 2018. She now attends Mississippi University for Women and is majoring in nursing.
Unlike other counties which hold local pageants to determine the woman who will advance to the state competition of Miss Hospitality, Neshoba County’s contestant is appointed by the Director of Miss Hospitality for Neshoba County, Laura Bailey.
“Landry approached me about being Neshoba’s Miss Hospitality,” Bailey said. “They need at least one or two years of college, a good GPA, and a good personality. The judges begin watching the candidates when they go to the meet and greet in June. They carefully observe how they interact with the other girls.”
Bailey said Landry is going to represent Neshoba County well.
“Mrs. Bailey offered me the title of Neshoba’s Miss Hospitality in July 2019,” Payne said. “I was thrilled to represent Neshoba once more.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state Miss Hospitality competition was canceled, and due to this contestants were given the option to retain their local title for another year and compete in the 2021 competition, which Payne accepted. She is currently in Hattiesburg preparing to perform her on-stage part in the competition on Friday.
During the competition, Payne will take part in one-on-one and panel interviews Wednesday, and will present a speech and written commercial on stage Friday. She will be accompanied by Katie James, Neshoba’s Little Miss Hospitality, young girls who are chosen along with the older candidates to go on stage with them to represent their counties.
“The commercial has to be within 20 to 30 seconds, and the goal is to talk to people about your hometown and promote it,” Payne said. “My speech will be about Mississippi and why someone who’s never been here should come to visit.”
Payne will be competing on Friday night with the second half of the contestants. The first half will compete Thursday night. The winners on Thursday and Friday will advance to the finals on Saturday night, where the winner will be decided and crowned.
“I’m just so excited to be in Hattiesburg, representing Neshoba County,” Payne said. “I could not ask for a better community to represent. The support I've received throughout my service as Neshoba County’s Miss Hospitality is mind-blowing, and I’m so proud to call Neshoba County home.”
Landry Payne’s mother, Cindy Payne, said Miss Hospitality is an opportunity for growth and for her daughter to step out of her everyday box and meet new people.
“Landry is prepared and has done the work in bettering herself with interviewing,” Payne said. “She was as ready as she could be when she left for Hattiesburg on Sunday, and it’s up to the judges to decide. She’s excited and enjoying her time there. I know she’ll do her very best, and as a mom, I’m cheering for her.”
To learn more about Miss Hospitality Mississippi, visit https://misshospitality.net/.