Miss Portland Crowned Miss Oregon 2007

Congratulations to Miss Oregon 2007 Kari Virding and Miss Oregon Outstanding Teen 2007 Abigail Rodriguez.

Images from this year's pageant Courtesy: Miss Oregon Scholarship Program

(SEASIDE, Ore.) - Oregon got “All Shook Up” as the 61st Miss Oregon was crowned Saturday night, June 30 at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center.

The 2007 Miss Oregon is Kari Virding. Receiving a $10,000 scholarship, Virding competed with 20 contestants for the coveted crown during a week of judging and activities.

Competition began Thursday night with the preliminary talent, swimsuit and evening gown portions of the show. Earlier in the week interviews were held with a talented panel of judges from across the country.

The top 5 runners up are Miss Rogue Valley Cassandra Tolman, Miss Emerald Valley Stephanie Steers, Miss Mt. Hood Danielle Winterhalter and Miss Multnomah County Carmen Denman.

Preliminary talent awards were awarded on Thursday night to Miss Portland Kari Virding and Miss Mt. Hood Danielle Winterhalter, and on Friday night to Miss Multnomah County Carmen Denman and Miss Rogue Valley Cassandra Tolman.

In a surprise announcement, Miss Emerald Valley Stephanie Steers received the 2007 Katie Harman Scholarship Award.

Other awards given were the Patty Jensen Memorial Community Service Award to Cassandra Tolman, Marguerite Phillips Memorial Academic Achievement Award to Aspen Gerten, Ruth Christensen Memorial All Over Interview Award to Kari Virding, Karen Smith Memorial Miss Congeniality Scholarship to Katie Trautman, Jenny Bremer Memorial Scholarship to Rebekah Murphy, and the Tiffany Phillips Memorial Scholarship Athlete to Brittany Ewait.

Going into Saturday night’s program, the top ten women were Miss Tri-Valley Nichole Cooper, Miss Southern Oregon Jessica Ville, Miss Willamette Valley Aspen Gerten, Miss Mt. Hood Danielle Winter Halter, Miss Portland Kari Virding, Miss Marion Polk Sylvie Taripian, Miss Rogue Valley Cassandra Tolman, Miss Clackamas Brittany Ewalt, Miss Emerald Valley Stephanie Steers and Miss Multnomah Carmen Denman.

The competition culminated with interviews given to the top five finalists.

The top five Outstanding Teens were Fourth Runner Up Timari Caitlin Yow (Josephine County), Third Runner Up Kayla Bowker (Cascade County), Second Runner Up Marissa Huddleston (Multnomah County), First Runner Up Amanda Gonzalez (Lane County), and Abigail Rodriguez (Portland) as 2007 Miss Outstanding Teen.

Mistress of Ceremonies for the 2007 Miss Oregon Scholarship Pageant was Miss Oregon 2001 and Miss America 2002 Katie Harmon Ebner and featuring the singing talents of Steve Boysen from Elvis’s home state.

It was an unbelievable evening of entertainment and the start of a new and exciting journey for two wonderful young ladies. Congratulations to Miss Oregon 2007 Kari Virding and Miss Oregon Outstanding Teen 2007 Abigail Rodriguez.