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Band program instituted at St. Jude

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Search for missing Wyoming man ends, but investigation continues

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; When Miss America contestants &#8220;show off their shoes&#8221; in a traditional pageant-weekend parade, what do curious spectators see?</p><p>&#8220;Once somebody wore coal miner shoes,&#8221; said Madison Dompkosky, 13, of Mountain Top.</p><p>&#8220;I saw some with rhinestones,&#8221; said Adrianna Shaffer, 11, of Ashley.</p><p>&#8220;Seashells,&#8221; said Morgan Thomas, 13, of Plains Township.</p><p>&#8220;Last year it rained a lot and Miss Maine was the only one who was prepared,&#8221; said Katie Fitzgerald, 11, of Mountain Top. &#8220;She had rain boots.&#8221;</p><p>The girls who have noticed years of fancy footwear, often designed to represent a contestant&#8217;s home state, were busy last week practicing a routine for the Sept. 12 Miss America Parade along the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.</p><p>They knew they&#8217;d wear not fancy high heels but comfortable black sneakers, which they expected would make it easier for them to march and dance and smile their way through the 2-hour parade as representatives of the David Blight School of Dance.</p><p>There were no auditions for taking part in the parade, instructor Lindsey Reichard Cronauer said. &#8220;Your teachers just have to know you can hack it.&#8221;</p><p>In Atlantic City, the girls expected to perform as a team with dancers from many other schools. The parade lineup also included high school bands, drill teams, Scout groups, firefighters, cheerleaders and the Miss America contestants.</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;re really playing the part of a cowgirl,&#8221; Cronauer reminded her young protegees as they practiced kicking, spinning around and slapping their thighs during rehearsal at the Blight studio. Their music was a song called &#8220;Timber,&#8221; and the girls looked forward to getting cowgirl hats in Atlantic City.</p><p>During rehearsal the headgear was imaginary, and eight of the nine young dancers used alternating arms at different points in the choreography to hold onto those imaginary hats.</p><p>The ninth dancer, 10-year-old Kennedy Wood of Shavertown, consistently used her left arm because her right was in a cast. &#8220;We don&#8217;t know if it&#8217;s broken yet,&#8221; she said.</p><p>&#8220;The show must go on,&#8221; Cronauer said, to which Wood nodded seriously.</p><p>Some of the girls planned to stay in Atlantic City after the parade to watch the Miss America Pageant in person on Sept. 13 &#8212; viewers can also see the pageant at 9 p.m. on the ABC network &#8212; and some of them dream of competing in the pageant when they are older.</p><p>They know past students from their dance studio, including Shannon Doyle in 2009 and Linda O&#8217;Boyle in 1991, competed in the national pageant as Miss Pennsylvania.</p><p>What&#8217;s the best way to try to follow in their footsteps?</p><p>&#8220;Be yourself,&#8221; one of the young dancers suggested.</p><p>&#8220;You go, girl!&#8221; Cronauer said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Dance instructor Lindsey Reichard Cronauer, left, talks with student Kennedy Wood, 10, of Shavertown, who is dancing with an arm injury. Kennedy is one of nine girls from the David Blight Dance Studio who were practicing a routine for the Miss America Parade. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_missamericaparade01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dance instructor Lindsey Reichard Cronauer, left, talks with student Kennedy Wood, 10, of Shavertown, who is dancing with an arm injury. Kennedy is one of nine girls from the David Blight Dance Studio who were practicing a routine for the Miss America Parade. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_missamericaparade02.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Young dancers from the David Blight Dance Studio in Wilkes-Barre practice their routine for the Miss America Parade, held in conjunction with the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_missamericaparade02.jpg</photo1><caption1>Young dancers from the David Blight Dance Studio in Wilkes-Barre practice their routine for the Miss America Parade, held in conjunction with the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>ON TV</strong></p><p>The Miss America Pageant will air on 9 p.m. Sunday Sept. 13 over the ABC network.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Dancers from David Blight School of Dance in Wilkes-Barre prepare for Miss America Parade