Janet Harding
Photo credit: The Olympian

"Janet Harding, a 21-year old from Yelm with a passion for volunteer work, is the new Miss Washington.

Harding was crowned Saturday night [July 12] at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma and will represent Washington in the Miss America competition, which takes place in January in Las Vegas. She competed in the Miss Washington pageant as Miss Tahoma, a title she earned in a Puyallup pageant...

Harding will work for the cause of Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America during her reign. To earn her crown, she played a cascading classical piano piece, modeled a two-piece pink swimsuit and a black-and-white beaded evening gown, and answered questions in an onstage interview.

Asked whether she thought Americans are too selfish to make sacrifices to aid the environment, Harding said in the interview that she thinks Americans already are starting to do so.

Harding is the daughter of Myrna and Ron Harding and a student at Western Washington University, where she is studying elementary education, social studies and communications.

She serves on the board of Big Brothers-Big Sisters in Whatcom County and is a Big Sister.

'She puts in hundreds of hours of community service, in whatever cause comes forward,' said Ron Harding, Yelm’s mayor," quoting The Olympian.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JANET!!!!!!

Updated with Nisqually Valley News story published July 18.