Columbus vocalist wins Miss Ohio talent award with 'Phantom' song

MANSFIELD -  Miss Franklin County Mara Mason of Columbus won the Friday night preliminary talent award on the Miss Ohio stage, singing "Think of Me" from "Phantom of the Opera."

She received a $500 scholarship.

Competing on the Miss Ohio stage for her second year, Mason said said she loves singing and loved the "Phanton of the Opera" song in high school and just had to sing it.

"I came off the stage and I just started crying, immediately," Mason said. "I don't know what it was. I just felt I did the best I could have done and I left it all out there. And that's the best I could have hoped for."

 The 22-year-old Mason just graduated from The Ohio State University where she studied public affairs journalism. She said she works professionally in Columbus and someday would like to run for political office. She said she would like to be a U.S. senator. 

"Ohio has not had a female senator. I would love to be the first but definitely not the last," she said.

Her platform at Miss Ohio is "One in Five: Empowering Women, Ending Sexual Violence."

"I chose this platform because I noticed there was an issue with campus culture at Ohio State and universities all around the country. I wanted to talk about this difficult issue because just because it is difficult doesn't mean it doesn't need to be addressed.  Talking about sexual violence has been something that is so, so important to me," Mason said.

During the press conference, she said she was a bit overwhelmed but in "the best way."

When asked to share something about herself, Mason said she is colorblind and wears a lot of blacks and whites.

Friday night's Miss Ohio show was filled with music, including a tribute to rock and roll that featured a musical number by Miss Ohio entertainers singing the Beatles' "Hey Jude."

The 22 Miss Ohio contestants did an energetic, rhyming roll call for the audience, even enlisting the Miss Ohio judges to do one of their own.

Scholarship awards Friday night went to Miss Clayland Rachel Gombosch, 24, of Ontario, winning the Miss Photogenic contest held at the Richland Mall.

The Mina O'Guinn Memorial Award was awarded to Miss Northwestern Ohio Emily Legenza, 20, of Wauseon.

The contestant who raised the most money for the Children's Miracle Network was Miss Montgomery County Caroline Grace Williams, 24, of Cincinnati, and she received a scholarship award for her efforts.

Two contestants took home the Women in Business Awards: Miss Northern Ohio Mackenzie Perry, 20, of Nelsonville, and Miss Miami Valley Rosie Westerbeck, 19, of Minster.

Three contestants received STEM scholarship award: Miss Lake Festival Cami Mohler, 20, of Celina,  Miss Heart of Ohio Monique Booher, 23, of Sidney, and Miss Shawnee Grace Brown, 19, of Heath.

Onstage questions asked of contestants ranged from topics such as the United States defense budget to building a border wall to issues surrounding physical education in schools, racial tension, anxiety disorders and whether a college education is necessary.

Reigning Miss Ohio Matti-Lynn Chrisman sang "Climbing Up Hill" a spirited song about the pressures of stage life.

Contestants demonstrated a myriad of talents during the evening segment including clogging, tap dancing, singing and even a monologue in the Grey Flight while members of the Scarlet Flight participated in the onstage interview and donned evening gowns fit for princesses.

Former Miss Ohio Tana Carli Dimino, celebrating her 40th anniversary, joined Miss Ohio 2011 Ellen Bryan as co-emcee.

Carli Dimino interviewed Miss Ohio 1970 Kathrine Baumann on stage who is celebrating her 50th anniversary.

Baumann, who was from Independence, Ohio, when she competed, and now lives in California, updated theater-goers on what she's been doing since being named first runner-up to Miss America 1970, winning both preliminary swimsuit and talent awards on the stage in Atlantic City that year with her acrobatic jazz dance. 

As first runner-up to Miss America, the Miss America scholarship award supported her studies and her career with the renowned Agnes Moorehead in her acting pursuit with guest appearances on such shows as "M*A*S*H" and "The Tonight Show."

For the past 30 years she has served as a designer of artistic purses to the stars and has been affectionately known as "The Beverly Hills Bag Lady." CNN has called her the female Andy Warhol, "making American icons into wearable works of art."

She said she is "settling down," spending less time on work and wanting to spend more time with family in Ohio. Her husband died in August. Friday night her parents came to the Miss Ohio show. Her dad is 89 and her mother, 87.

"I'm going to spend more time riding my horse in the mountains," she said. "I'm going to spend more time going back and forth from California to Ohio," she said.

Baumann said the pageant gave her the confidence to pursue anything she wanted. And, she said, she would personally like to see the swimsuit competition come back, saying it shows a woman's athleticism.

The candid and friendly Baumann was 20 years old when she won the Miss Ohio crown. Her niece, Tiffany Baumann Nelson, was Miss Ohio 2000.

The new Miss Ohio will be crowned at the Renaissance Theatre Saturday night. The new state titleholder will also sign autographs beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Richland Mall during her first public appearance. The event is free and open to the public.

lwhitmir@nncogannett.com

419-521-7223

Twitter: @LWhitmir