Miss Tennessee 2007 Grace Arnold Gore is among the 52 contestants vying for the Miss America crown. [Click to enlarge]

When the Miss America 2008 pageant airs this Saturday, local families will be crossing their fingers hoping that Miss Tennessee will be walking away with the coveted crown.

Grace Arnold Gore, Miss Tennessee 2007, is the granddaughter of longtime pharmacist and former Halls mayor Sammie Arnold and his wife, Doris. She is the niece of Leo and Tonya Arnold of Dyersburg and Gay Gregson of Jackson. Her mother, Darlene, grew up in Halls and worked for a while in the Dyer County Schools system.

Gore did a few pageants in junior high and high school but did not enter a Miss America Organization pageant until last year.

"Mop (Gore's grandmother Doris Arnold) has always been a big fan of the Miss Tennessee pageant and when Grace moved to Nashville for graduate school, Mop encouraged her to enter a preliminary pageant," Gregson said. "It turned out to be a great diversion from her studies, motivating her to stay in shape, stay in-tune with current events and to pursue singing again."

Gore, 24, won the Miss Tennessee title competing as Miss Lexington at the pageant held in Jackson back in June 2007.

The 2008 Miss America pageant will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. on the cable network TLC. For its 83rd year, Miss America is getting a new look, compliments of TLC. That transition is being witnessed through the four-week series "Miss America: Reality Check." The concept of the show is to undo everything the 52 contestants - from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands - have learned about pageant basics and determine if their smarts, attitudes and looks hold up in contemporary society. Challenges are designed to prepare them for the finale event, a renewed competition that will redefine what it takes to be Miss America, a relatable and individual "it girl" who can connect with today's modern woman.

"Even though I find the show a little silly, it is a thrill to see our little Gracie on there," Gregson said. "She has actually been given a good bit of 'face time' considering that there are 51 other girls. She always makes us proud."

While Gore has enjoyed meeting people across the state during her reign as Miss Tennessee by being the official spokesperson for the Governor's Safe and Drug Free Tennessee Program and through other appearances, "Miss America: Reality Check" "has to be my most interesting and fun experience thus far as Miss Tennessee," she said.

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The crown also provided her the opportunity to be a part of the 57th annual Dyersburg Christmas Parade. "She loved it," Gregson said. "She actually participated in several Christmas parades, but the Dyersburg parade was special because of her ties to the area and her Aunt Tonya, Uncle Leo and grandparents were able to be there."

Gore grew up Grenada, Miss., which is where her parents Jay and Darlene Gore still live. She has a bachelor of science degree in communicative disorders and is a second-year doctoral student of audiology at Vanderbilt University.

It is her studies that influenced her choice of platform for the Miss Tennessee pageant -- hearing health care philanthropic platform. It also led to Graceful Sounds Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit organization of which she is founder and president. The organization aims to enrich the lives of individuals who suffer from hearing impairment, encourage them to meet their full potential in a mainstreamed world and raise money for the Children's Miracle Network, specifically to finance music therapy programs and hearing-aid purchases for hearing-impaired children in CMN hospitals.

So, what about Gore's chances of becoming the next Miss America?

"Some people would say that I'm her aunt so I can't give a fair answer to that question," said Gregson, who is Gore's mother's sister. "So I'll just say this: If the Miss America pageant is looking for a Miss America who is not only beautiful when she's in full hair and makeup but also when she first rolls out of bed in the morning; someone who is very intelligent and motivated -- she's in graduate school at Vanderbilt for heaven's sake; someone who is just as comfortable at a movie premiere as she is fishing with her daddy in the pond behind the house; someone who has strong family and good, old-fashioned Christian values; someone who has a genuine spark and sense of humor ... well, I could just go on and on. In other words, if the judges know what they are doing, I'll come home the aunt of Miss America. While that would be a thrill, I could not be any happier or any more proud than I am just being the aunt of Grace Gore, Miss Tennessee."