Macy's "Shop For A Cause"

For the past two years, I have been involved in Macy's “Shop For a Cause”. It is a fun event that takes place in Macy's stores across the country, that benefits numerous charities. The Macy's at the Holyoke Mall invited me back to their store and I was booked to be in Auburn, MA too.

At the Auburn Mall, I was well received! I had an autograph table set up for the first part of my appearance. For the second part of my appearance in Auburn, I got to walk around the store and chat with costumers. There were all sorts of activities set up throughout the store including face painting, a finger print station, and video games. I even had my blood pressure checked, which was quite an event for me because I am deathly afraid of having it done. I am glad to report that my blood pressure is normal and that I met many amazing people, who made my visit worthwhile.

I quickly left and headed to my second appearance of the day, which was Macy's “Shop For a Cause” at the Holyoke Mall. I was very excited to be greeted by my cousin Toni and the Manager at Macy's, Tanya. I changed into a royal purple dress that they let me borrow for my appearance and met with local titleholders from Massachusetts.

I got to walk around the store meeting customers, tasting food, signing autographs and even got to hangout with Cinderella and Elvis! :) A Ray of Elvis is a local Elvis impersonator who participates in numerous charity events that I attend. He was very entertaining and even called attention to me every time I walked near is stage. It was a lot of fun dancing and signing along to his tunes!

The Macy's “Shop For A Cause” event was a perfect way for me to exercise my title of Miss Massachusetts for a worthy cause, have a little fun, and spend a day of quality time with my family before I leave for LA in the morning.

Love, Alicia

Massachusetts Day at the Big E

I went back to the Big E today to help celebrate “MASSACHUSETTS DAY”! I was thrilled that I was representing my STATE at my city's local fair. When I arrived, I set up my CMN table outside of the Massachusetts State Building. The table was outside this time... which presented some challenges! It was freezing and very windy where we were, but Auntie Josie, Mema, and I sat at the table hardly able to chat people up for donations!

Within an hour, things began to warm up. I spotted an old friend Gloria Tuperkisis, from “Dance Capers”, which is a dance competition that I used to compete in. She introduced me to her dancers and even let me take over her stage for a few minutes to speak about the Miss America Organization and the Children's Miracle Network! That prompted people to come over to my table and talk. For most of the day, I collected donations and got to know the wonderful people of my community a little better.

In the early afternoon, I had the opportunity to meet a very special guest and to see a few familiar faces, as well. While greeting visitors to the MA State Building, I met with Massachusetts Governor, Duval Patrick! We had the chance to chat a bit about what was going on in our lives and the state. I also ran into State Representative James Welch again! I met Mr. Welch at the Massachusetts State House this summer and since then feel like I have been bumping into him everywhere.

After the meet and greet of guests, I was running to catch my car for the Massachusetts Day Parade. Parades are a lot of fun for me because I love smiling at people and seeing their reactions. Even when I am crownless, I always smile at strangers. It brightens my day when someone smiles back and makes me laugh when they don't! :)

Love, Alicia

West Springfield Day

Today was the day that I have been waiting for... WEST SPRINGFIELD DAY at the BIG E! The Big E is a fair in my hometown that has fantastic opportunities for shopping, meeting new people, riding a Big Yellow Slide, and eating some of the most delicious food that New England has to offer! Each day at the Big E is designated a “state day” and since it is held in my hometown of West Springfield, MA there is a West Springfield Day too. I thought that I wouldn't be able to attend the Big E this year due to the filming schedule of the Miss America Reality Show. You can imagine how excited I was when I heard that the filming was pushed back a week and I would be able to go! I can remember waiting to be let out of school, free attendance ticket in hand, and rushing to the gates of the Big E to enjoy West Springfield day with my friends and family. This year it would be even more special...

The people at the Big E were very supportive of the Miss America Organization! They allowed me to set up a table in th Massachusetts Building where I could accept donations on behalf of the Children's Miracle Network. I spent the morning greeting and talking with individuals about both the Miss America Organization and CMN. The vendors in th Massachusetts Building were generously offering me delicious food for my fundraising efforts! I met many wonderful individuals who truly touched my heart with their generosity and encouraging words. One elderly woman called me to her side and kept pointing at my face. She motioned for me to bow my head and I thought that she wanted to take a closer look at my crown or to see how I kept it on. Instead, she pulled my head closer and kissed me blessingly on the forehead. It was a beautiful gesture and made me realize that I am affecting people young and old.

After lunch, I made my way to line up for the West Springfield Day parade. While there, I was thrilled to see the Pee-Wee, Junior, and Senior Cheerleading Squads from West Side! Being a former cheerleader, I enjoyed catching up with the girls and having photos taken. It was almost surreal because not too long ago, I was one of them and never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would be “Miss Massachusetts” going on to compete for “Miss America”... During the parade, I was lucky enough to be accompanied by my Mom, Dad, and Mema in a gorgeous light blue Mustang. I could tell that they were having a blast waving and talking to the crowd!

When the parade came to an end, I was allowed to walk around the fairgrounds wearing my crown and banner. I was amazing to see so many people that I knew well or had gone to school with... It is so inspiring to talk with old friends and it keeps my feet planted firmly on the ground. I'm a small town girl who has been blessed with amazing opportunities and I will never take that for granted.

Love, Alicia

"Walk In The Park"

Yesterday, I had the privilege to act as an Ambassador for the first annual Six Flags “Walk in the Park”. The event was a Walk-A-Thon to raise funds for “Cure Kids Cancer”. I arrived in the early morning and skipped my usual 67 cups of coffee... uh oh. I was relieved to find out that Dunkin' Donuts was a sponsor of the event and had a booth set up to caffeinate those involved! My task for the day was to act as a motivator for the volunteers. I gave out many high fives along with encouraging words. A definite highlight of my day was meeting Justin Kie-Burdick. Justin is a young man with an amazing spirit who also served as the “face” of Six Flags New England's event. He told his courageous story and had everyone hanging on his every word as they fell in love with his charm.

I also had the chance to meet Jerry from "Ben and Jerry", the President of Six Flags New England, and Chris Kellogg from 94.7 WMAS! The event was a great success for all that were involved and I am thankful to have been a part of it.

For more information about “Cure Kids Cancer” visit: http://curekidscancer.org/

After the event, I was surely caffeinated.... but starving! My chaperon for the day was my local director, Nikki Pajer. Her family owns a wonderful Italian Delicatessen in Agawam, MA. We decided to pay her family a visit and get lunch.It was great to stop into a local eatery and see the response of onlookers. I signed some autographs, took photos, and noshed on an ENORMOUS turkey sub. A fantastic way to end an appearance!

Love, Alicia

LA Prep

The time is getting closer... I will be leaving for Los Angeles on September 21 to film the Miss America Reality Show. I am excited to see all of the girls again, but a little anxious to see what is in store for all of us. All that we know is that we are all flying into LAX on September 21st and will be flying home on October 9th. That's it... Not knowing what we will be doing leads to some stress. I am trying to keep an open-mind and stay positive. I will miss my family, but when will I have the chance to be on a reality show again? This is a blessing.

This past week, I have been busy packing and shopping for the required wardrobe for my stay in L.A. Today I went to visit to the Miss Massachusetts clothier, “The Crowning Touch” in New Bedford, MA. My dad came with me to help me pick out cocktail dresses for my three-week stay in L.A. Every dress is beautiful at “The Crowning Touch”, but I think that Maria picked out some versatile pieces for me to wear, which is key because we don't know exactly what I will be taking part in. I even tried on a few gowns for Miss America... Nothing is decided quite yet, but I felt like a million bucks in every dress that I tried on! I am very excited to pick out my evening gown for Miss America! You will have to tune in to see...

Thank you to the Crowning Touch in New Bedford, MA. for providing me with lovely wardrobe options and words of confidence!

P.S. Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Mother and Darling Danny~

Love, Alicia