MANSFIELD, Ohio – The newest Miss Ohio is officially ready to take on the job with a new car courtesy of Graham Automall.
Miss Ohio 2015 Sarah Hider received the keys to a forest green 2014 Chevy Cruze on Tuesday afternoon, the vehicle that will take her to appearances all over the state of Ohio for the next year.
“It’s pretty amazing to know I can go anywhere as Miss Ohio and make any appearance, and know I don’t have to worry about my transportation because it’s provided to me by Graham Automall,” said Hider.
This is the fifth year Graham Automall has provided a vehicle for Miss Ohio to use throughout her reign. Doc Stumbo of Graham Automall said a new vehicle is provided every three years; Hider’s vehicle is in its second year after being gifted brand-new to Miss Ohio 2014 Mackenzie Bart, who put 33,000 miles on the Cruze over the past year.
“But I think Heather put in more miles than anyone,” said Stumbo with a laugh, referring to Miss Ohio 2013 Heather Wells.
As the current Miss Ohio, Hider’s first outing with her new vehicle will be to her hometown of Wooster to speak at the Wooster City Schools board meeting – she graduated from Wooster High School in 2009. This weekend, Hider will be traveling to Columbus to appear on “Good Morning Columbus” and will also visit Miss Ohio’s official partner Henri’s Cloud Nine, where she will help design a custom-made gown for the Miss America competition on Sept. 13.
“They definitely said I would be doing a lot of traveling,” said Hider. “I traveled a lot as Miss Maple City so it’s like I’ve been practicing to be Miss Ohio by driving and making all sorts of different appearances. That’s the part of the job I was really looking forward to doing.”
After spending time as a resident in both New York City and Chicago, Hider said Ohio is still her favorite place to be. Since winning the crown on Saturday, Hider said she has been spending her time celebrating with family and friends she might be a little too busy to visit with over the next few months.
“And trying to respond to as much social media as I can,” she added. “When I got my phone back after winning Miss Ohio I had 175 text messages. I’m down to having 102 left to respond to, just overwhelming congratulations. I’m so appreciative so I’m trying to respond and be gracious as much as I can.”
With the Miss America competition coming up in only a few short months, Hider said she looks forward to balancing preparing for the Miss America stage with statewide appearances as Miss Ohio.
“All the appearances I’ll be making are also preparing you for the job of Miss America,” she said. “When I speak at a school or wherever it’s preparing me to speak on the Miss America stage or to speak in the interview room. You do have to balance the two but they also coincide together.”
