When they look up to her, she remembers wanting to be an Ocean City queen
OCEAN CITY — When little girls approach her, in awe of her crown and sash, Junior Miss Ocean City Sarah Avellino knows that feeling well.
“I used to be one of those girls and now I get to be in the big girl shoes,” she said last week, reflecting on the past year as one of Ocean City’s crown sisters. On Saturday night, Aug. 17, she will crown her successor at the 2025 Junior Miss Ocean City Pageant at the Music Pier.
“I wanted to do pageants and be one of these Ocean City queens since I was a little girl. Seeing where these little girls are, it just reminds me of when I was little and I just hope the best for them. It’s just a really great experience to meet all of them.”
Sarah, 15, a rising sophomore at Villa Maria Academy High School in Malvern, Pa., was first exposed to pageants in her kitchen as she and her mom talked about camps for the summer. Her mom spotted Little Miss Ocean City.
Sarah didn’t know what it was, but after reading about it, something clicked.
“Oh yeah, I’m definitely doing that. That’s the thing for me,” she said. “Basically since I was 8 was when I got introduced to it and wanted to do it. I even convinced some of my friends to do it with me. It’s been a great experience.”
She competed in the Little Miss pageant, for girls age 8 to 11, for three years. In her first try at Junior Miss last August, which is for girls 12 to 15, she won.
Looking at the self-confident teen from Newtown Square, Pa., who summers with her family in Ocean City, makes her seem like a natural for the stage. It wasn’t always that way.
“I think I get a lot of my confidence from the support of my family. I used to be a really shy little girl and I didn’t want to do pageants or theater because I worried what people would think of me, but my brother, my sister, my mom and dad, they all told me I could do it and just to be myself,” she said.
“Once that finally got in my head and I started doing it, I realized I don’t need anyone’s approval but myself and my family. And they really boosted my confidence and made me the girl I am today.”
Sarah said girls should try this “really unbelievable and incredible experience.”
“When they called my name (at last year’s pageant), I was in complete shock. I couldn’t even get words out. I was so proud I got up on that stage whether I won or not. It’s been such a great experience that I would love to do it again, maybe for Miss Ocean City. It is something I’m really proud of and I’m going to tell this story a lot of times in my life.”
When convincing a friend to go out for the pageant, she talked about the memories and friendships. She keeps in touch with girls she met in Little Miss.
“Just putting yourself out there is a really great experience and there are great friendships that you make.”
Sarah is going to value two friendships in particular, what she considers the best part of being Junior Miss Ocean City.
“The thing I enjoyed the most was getting to know Lola and Stella. Lola is like my big sister and Stella is like a little sister to me,” she said about Miss Ocean City 2024 Lola DeMarco and Little Miss Ocean City 2024 Stella Fleming. “We’ve grown so close, even at our first event. Getting to know them and the great people that they are really made this year amazing and I don’t think without them it would be the same.”
Sarah enjoyed many aspects of her year as Junior Miss, going to all the events, taking part in parades and meeting all the parents and kids who approached her to say hello and get photos.
“My favorite was Night in Venice. We had so much fun on the boat and seeing all the houses and decorations. I almost fell off the boat we were dancing so much,” she said, laughing. “It was a really great time and just getting to be with them made it so much sweeter.”
In high school, Sarah spends a lot of time singing in the church choir, the regular choir, she does theater at her school and in Ocean City during the summer. She’s also on the cheer team and would like to be an ambassador at her school as well.
Sarah appreciates the support she has received from her family, whether it’s at parades or events such as Wacky Wednesday.
“They’re always there,” she said of her mother and father, “to get pictures or cheer me on. It’s been really great. I’m just very grateful for them and all they’ve done for me this year.
“They drove me down to every event, even if it was the wintertime and we had to drive from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, even it is was just an hour-long event, they made me get there on time.”
Sarah said crowning her successor will be bittersweet but she is excited to see who wears the crown next.
“This is such a great opportunity. And I just can’t wait for her to experience this because it is something I am so grateful for, but at the same time it’s sad because this has been the best thing I’ve ever done, so giving that up is a little tough.”
She will have company in the latter regard as her pageant sisters give up their crowns as well.
“Me and Lola and Stella are always going to stay in touch. We have talked about that. We’re going to text and FaceTime all the time.”
The Little Miss Ocean City Pageant is Friday, Aug. 16, and the Junior Miss Ocean City Pageant is Saturday, Aug. 17. Both begin at 7 p.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. (Miss Ocean City was last week.) To get tickets, visit oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice, call (609) 399-6111 or stop by one of the city welcome centers.
– STORY and PHOTO by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
