New Miss Rain Day crowned
Claire Kreider, Miss Rain Day 2015, crowns this year’s winner, Bryn Patton, at Sunday afternoon’s pageant.
From left, Micaela Ricco, Miss Rain Day 2016 Bryn Patton, Brittany Rhodes and crown bearer Paige Hanning pose following Sunday’s pageant.
WAYNESBURG – Ever since she was little, Bryn Patton appreciated and celebrated the history of Rain Day and what July 29 means to the community.
“Just the tradition and how it is so special to Waynesburg,” Bryn said. “It’s been going on for so long, well 142 years, so it’s a great thing for Waynesburg.”
The 14-year-old girl, who is entering her freshman year at Waynesburg Central High School, was crowned Miss Rain Day during Sunday afternoon’s pageant. Bryn is a daughter of Michelle and Randy Patton of Waynesburg.
Her contemporary dance to “I Look To You” wowed the Miss Rain Day pageant’s judges and helped her win the competition.
“I’ve practiced a lot, so I just told the judges I’ve prepared for this, and I felt, when I went on stage, I gave it my all and showed them who I really was,” Bryn said.
The competition, sponsored by Rain Day Scholarship Inc., was the 38th annual Miss Rain Day pageant. Bryn competed against Brittany Rhodes, Micaela Ricco, Alison Blair and McKenna Benke.
Bryn tied for first in the sportswear competition, finished first in the evening gown competition and won the John O’Hara Essay Award and Miss Photogenic. She also will receive a $2,500 scholarship to Westmoreland County Community College.
Rhodes, who finished runner up, also tied for first in the sportswear competition and was the top interview, while also winning the scholastic achievement, rain maker and pageantry spirit portions of the competition.
Ricco, who finished third, received both the Remo C. Bertugli Memorial and Kelly Smotzer Memorial awards, and was the top talent.
Claire Kreider, who held the Miss Rain Day title over the past year, handed the crown to Bryn when she was announced the winner.
Service and volunteering are major parts of being Miss Rain Day, and Bryn said one of her upcoming projects will likely involve the Greene County Humane Society “because I really love animals.”
Until then, she’s spending the next few days preparing to serve as Miss Rain Day when the festivities kickoff Friday morning on High Street in Waynesburg. She’s practicing the contemporary dance she performed at the pageant so she can showcase it again on the stage in front of the Greene County Courthouse.
“I’m looking forward to meeting people and getting to enjoy the day that is so special to Waynesburg,” she said. “I’m very excited. It’s a new experience and I just can’t wait.
“I’m hoping for rain, definitely.”
The Rain Day tradition began in 1875 when William Allison, working as a clerk for the J.T. Rogers & Co. Drugstore in the now-demolished Allison Building, started keeping a record of the weather July 29 after hearing a farmer claim it rained every year on that date. Allison began making wagers with others that it would rain July 29, and the tradition eventually became a street festival in Waynesburg.