Ella Grace Shelton of Oxford will represent her hometown in the 74th Mississippi Miss Hospitality Competition
The competition will be held at 8 p.m. on July 14 and 15 at the Historic Hattiesburg Saenger Theater in Downtown Hattiesburg.
Shelton is the 19-year-old daughter of Chris and Magan Shelton. She is a graduate of
Lafayette High School Class of 2022. She was a Commodore Cheerleader for seven years and Head Captain her senior year. She also was a member of the Cross Country and Track Team for seven years.
She is currently a freshman at Ole Miss majoring in Exercise Science.
Living in Oxford for most of her life, she has grown up tailgating in the Grove and she is excited finally call this wonderful university her home. If you don’t find Ella studying or in class, you can find her welcoming customers at The Parlor in Oxford.
She bleeds red and blue and is thrilled to represent Oxford as their Miss Hospitality 2023.
In its 26th year as host city, Hattiesburg will showcase this year’s best and brightest young women as they compete for the title of Mississippi’s Miss Hospitality. Women who represent all regions of the state will vie for the title of Mississippi’s Miss Hospitality, with the winner serving for a full year as the state’s official ambassador for economic development and tourism.
In 2018, the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Competition added a Little Miss Hospitality component, which encourages local representatives to serve as a mentor throughout her reign to a young girl from her hometown between the ages of 6 and 10.
Returning this year, the program allows Little Misses to appear on-stage during the competition and participate in official events. If crowned the next Mississippi Miss Hospitality, the contestant’s Little Miss will serve alongside her as she fulfills her duties and responsibilities as Mississippi’s Goodwill Ambassador.
Little Miss Oxford Hospitality will be announced at a later date.
Tickets to the on-stage production are expected to go on sale in early June.
In the meantime, Ella will spend her time representing her hometown, supporting small businesses and events, and preparing for the state competition.
Staff report
