2017 Miss Carson City and Miss Douglas County crowned

A year can pass very quickly. Just ask Samantha Byassee and Karrina Ferris, who were crowned Miss Carson City and Miss Carson City Outstanding Teen, respectively, in 2016.

One year later, the two reigning local titleholders in the Miss America organization turned their crowns over to the 2017 winners Saturday night on stage in the Bob Boldrick Theater at the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William Street in Carson City.

"Savor every moment, because a year will go by so fast," Ferris said in her farewell speech to the waiting contestants.

Byassee and Ferris exchanged hugs on stage just prior to the announcement of their successors.

Moments later Carli Gumm, 16, of Minden was selected as the 2017 Miss Carson City Outstanding Teen. Ferris did the honors of draping the title sash over her successor and pinning the crown on her head.

Gumm currently attends Douglas High School.

Following her selection, 19 year-old Macie Tuell of Gardnerville was suddenly overcome as she was named Miss Carson City 2017, succeeding Byassee, who ceremoniously transferred the title sash and placed a crown on the new titleholder.

Prior to Saturday, Tuell had held at least three other Miss America organization titles in Nevada, including Miss Douglas County Outstanding Teen 2013, Miss Douglas County 2015, and Miss Reno 2016.

Coraleigh Bales, the outgoing 2016 Miss Douglas County titleholder, pinned the last crown of the competition on the head of her successor Saturday.

Brian Neben was awarded the 2017 Miss Douglas County title on stage Saturday, adding to her previous Miss American organization accomplishments.

Neben, a 23 year-old student at the University of Nevada, Reno, and volunteer board president of 501(c)3 non-profit CASA of Carson City, had reigned as Miss Lake Tahoe 2016 and Miss Carson City 2015.

Tuell, Neben and Gumm will go on to compete in the 2017 Miss Nevada and Miss Nevada Outstanding Teen pageants, respectively, held June 12-16 at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas.

Miss Carson City and Miss Douglas County are 501(c)3 nonprofit local representatives of the Miss Nevada and Miss America organizations.

The Miss Nevada organization gives young women an opportunity to achieve their personal and professional goals by offering them a forum to express their opinions, while demonstrating intelligence and talent.

In addition, scholarship assistance is available through the local and state Miss America organizations.

Young women ages 17-24 are invited to compete for Miss Carson City and Miss Douglas County, while girls ages 13-17 can compete for Miss Carson City and Miss Douglas County Outstanding Teen scholarship programs.

Miss America is the nation's leading achievement program and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women in the world, its web site states.

For more on this and other Carson City news, visit www.carsonnow.org.