2011 is shaping up to be a very good year for Tiffani
Petersen.
After being crowned queen of the Miss Gilroy Garlic Festival
Pageant in March
– a title that merits a $1,000 scholarship, a trip to Gilroy’s
sister city in Takko-Machi, Japan and a $2,500 award from
Christopher Ranch – Saturday brought the 20-year-old another
surprise.
2011 is shaping up to be a very good year for Tiffani Petersen.
After being crowned queen of the Miss Gilroy Garlic Festival Pageant in March – a title that merits a $1,000 scholarship, a trip to Gilroy’s sister city in Takko-Machi, Japan and a $2,500 award from Christopher Ranch – Saturday brought the 20-year-old another surprise.
“College tuition has gone up so high,” said garlic mogul Don Christopher, who owns Christopher Ranch in Gilroy.
During the Christopher Ranch Garlic Festival Dinner, the family awarded an additional $10K in scholarship money on behalf of Christopher Ranch to Petersen, who plans on studying law enforcement when she moves to Fresno in the fall.
“This will also help the queen contest. There will be more people coming out for it. The winner will enjoy it, and it will help their college education,” said Don. “We need to help our schools and kids.”
During her March performance in front of a packed audience at Gavilan College, Petersen had the crowd laughing when she channeled the likes of Vince Lombardi giving a hearty pep talk before a big game. Only in that case, the “big game” was the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
For her talent, Petersen executed a graceful rifle routine, twirling and flipping her prop like a baton to “The Way You Look Tonight.”
“We’re really happy about it,” said Don, of the new incentive. “It’s going to help her out.”
Don added he’s been doing this for a long time, and “can’t ever remember seeing a queen who wasn’t good.”
