Chloe Grace Weeks of Noxapater was crowned the Mississippi Miss Hospitality last weekend in Hattiesburg. Weeks is the daughter of Kevin and Twyla Weeks of Noxapater. She is a Nanih Waiya High School graduate. Weeks is the granddaughter of Steve and Patricia Weeks of Noxapater and the late Jackie Jones and Patsy Jones of Noxapater. Weeks represented Winston County in the competition. She was sponsored by the Noxapater Chamber Community Alliance. The Miss Hospitality competition began on July 5 and would include panel and oneon-one interviews as well as an evening gown competition. In keeping with the spirit of Miss Hospitality, Weeks and other contestants had to prepare a “Hometown Commercial,” which is based on the idea that Miss Hospitality is more than a beauty pageant winner – she is an economic and tourism ambassador for the state of Mississippi. Mississippi Miss Hospitality focuses on growth and tourism, and Chloe will have an opportunity to represent the Magnolia State on many occasions over the next twelve months. The 42 contestants competed at the Historic Saenger Theatre at Southern Miss, and they were given many perks throughout the week – a tour of the city and a visit to the President’s Suite at USM among them. They were also invited to a celebration event with past Miss Hospitality winners at Blooms Company; this particular perk allowed current contestants and past representatives to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee (75th) anniversary of the Miss Hospitality Mississippi program. Weeks has the special distinction of being crowned the 75th Mississippi Miss Hospitality. Weeks attends Mississippi State University where she will be a senior in the fall. She is a psychology major with a minor in medical humanities. A member of the Kappa Delta Sorority, she is on the Mental Health Board, the DEI team, and is an ACCESS Peer Mentor. Upon graduation, Weeks plans to obtain a BSN through the UMMC Accelerated BSN program. “I want to tell Mississippians’ stories and highlight things about the state that others may not know. I am ready to start setting goals for doing that through my travels as the official ambassador and meeting new people. This doesn’t feel real yet, but I am so honored and feel blessed to represent Mississippi as the 75th Miss Hospitality,” said Weeks. Weeks also won a prestigious Mississippi Speech award. She was asked to create and recite from memory a 90-minute speech based on the question, “How would you promote our state to a visitor of Mississippi?” She was awarded a Jay Slaughter Memorial Scholarship for placing as one of the top four speech winners. Weeks is also the first winner from Winston County. Miss Hospitality, in the Magnolia State, was established in 1949 by then-Governor Fielding Wright and the Mississippi state legislature. In addition to promoting the state of Mississippi, the Mississippi Miss Hospitality is deemed the state’s Goodwill Ambassador, traveling across the country to promote our state. “I am honored to serve as the 75th Mississippi Miss Hospitality. Competing in the Mississippi Miss Hospitality program is an experience I will never forget! My week in Hattiesburg was nothing short of perfect due to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved with this organization. I could not have asked for a better support system. My family, friends and the community provided constant encouragement throughout the process. I am blessed to have left Hattiesburg as Mississippi’s Goodwill Ambassador, but I also left with 41 incredible friendships. These girls are beautiful inside and out, and I am so grateful to have experienced this week with them. It has been an honor to represent Winston County, and I cannot wait to represent the great state of Mississippi!” Weeks said of her competition experience!
