Whitman County Gazette - Serving Whitman County since 1877

OLYMPIA - Miss Colfax Lorien Smith was so excited for her friend being named Miss Congeniality, she was stunned when Miss Washington for America Strong was named.

"It was hitting me when they said last my name. It was a 'wait a minute. Did they just say what I think they said?'" Smith said. "I was in tears ... I was just so shocked. It was like a movie moment. I don't remember how but I was hugging someone."

Smith spent Aug. 13-14 at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts in Olympia. It's part of South Sounds Community College. She was representing Colfax while competing for a state...