The Miss America Pageant is three days away, but Anna Tadlock’s schedule is in full swing, as it has been for the past six months.

“I expected to be very, very busy and to have a very hectic schedule,” said the 23-year-old who will represent Mississippi at the national pageant Saturday night in Las Vegas. “But one thing I did not expect — that has totally blown me away — is the generosity of the people who have helped me and have donated things to me to help me get ready. The hospitality and generosity of the people of Mississippi have impressed me this year.”

On TV

The 2010 Miss America pageant, hosted by Mario Lopez, will be shown live from Las Vegas at 8 p.m. Saturday on TLC, cable Channel 52.

Tadlock will compete against 52 other contestants, including Miss District of Columbia, Miss Virgin Islands and Miss Puerto Rico. Preliminary competition for the hopefuls began Tuesday and will run today and Thursday. The contestants will attend a gala Friday night to benefit the pageant’s national charity platform, the Children’s Miracle Network.

Tadlock’s personal interview with the judges was Monday, and she competed in the on-stage interview preliminary Tuesday. Today, she was to compete in the swimsuit and evening wear preliminary, and finish Thursday with talent. She will sing “A New Life” from the Broadway musical “Jekyll & Hyde.”

Tadlock sang the same song at the state contest in July, but said her presentation will be different this time. “I would like to say there’s a lot more emotion behind the song. Hopefully, it will be more of a moving piece for the audience and the judges.”

Since winning the 52nd title in Vicksburg Tadlock has been spending her time traveling around the state, speaking at schools and other places, promoting her platform of music education in schools — all the while preparing for Saturday’s pageant.

“All of my special appearances play a big part in helping me prepare for the interview because I do a lot of public speaking,” she said. “Those experiences, built up over a period of time, really fine tune your speaking skills and give you a better grasp on being able to express yourself whenever you need to.”

Her mother, Felicia Tadlock, has been her traveling companion.

“(My mom) is always full of energy, so we feed off of each other, and she helps keep me awake,” Tadlock said.

David Blackledge, who took over as CEO and chairman of the Miss Mississippi board this past year when longtime executives Dr. W. Briggs Hopson Jr. and his wife, Pat Hopson, retired, said, Tadlock “has certainly prepared herself. She has the maturity and the poise to do extremely well. She has continued to fine tune her skills.”

Blackledge is in Las Vegas this week, along with an estimated Mississippi cheering crowd of 50.

One of the ways Miss Mississippi prepares for the national pageant each year is through a trunk show. The event is held a couple of weeks before the Miss America pageant and is a way for the contestant to show off some of the clothes, shoes and jewelry she will wear.

Anna’s Closet, as it was dubbed this year, featured plenty of jersey knit dresses and leopard prints. Tadlock also modeled a few evening gowns. Regina Gailani, owner of Art & Soul on Washington Street, designed much of Tadlock’s jewelry.

The crowd participated in the trunk show by helping Tadlock choose a few pieces for her interview and the gala. More of her wardrobe can be viewed at www.missmississippipageant.com.

Tadlock is from Brandon and competed as Miss New South in last year’s Miss Mississippi Pageant. It was her fourth try for the crown, and she walked away with two preliminary wins — in swimsuit and talent.

Tadlock graduated in 2008 from Mississippi State University with a degree in communications and public relations. She is the daughter of Tommy and Felicia Tadlock.

The Miss America Pageant will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. Saturday on TLC, cable Channel 52. The winner will receive a $50,000 scholarship and other prizes. Runners-up will also be named.

The last time a Miss Mississippi won the Miss America title was in 1986, when Susan Akin of Meridian took the crown. In all, the state has had four wins.

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Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchan@vicksburgpost.com