Linda Martz

Reporter

MANSFIELD - Twenty Miss Ohio contestants won oohs, aahs and occasional grins Saturday from people watching the Miss Ohio Fashion Show as they stepped, turned and twirled, showing off outfits on stage at Richland Mall.

The fashion show, an early public appearance for the contestants as Miss Ohio Week gets underway in Mansfield, featured everything from career wear to casual summer T-shirts and sandals to .... a Ninja Turtle outfit?

Miss Shawnee Taylor Carmer, of Newark, garbed in classic turtle, exhibited ninja calm after stepping down off the runway as she sat afterward signing autographs.

Each contestant had been directed toward a particular store in the mall to find fashion show outfits Friday. Carmer been asked to head toward Spencer Gifts. Because clothing is a relatively small line at the store, which carries a variety of items, “they actually picked my outfits for me," she said.

For everyday wear, she’s more comfortable in casual clothes, such as summer tops, jeans and wedges, she said.

But “I really go with the flow," Carmer said. "I can have fun with pretty much anything I need to. I just had fun with it."

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Miss North Central Ohio Amelia Hitchens, of Newark, said she’d found lots of the kind of things she just loves to wear during the summer — “flowy” feminine outfits such as rompers and sundresses — at a new store in the mall, Iva's Southern Roots Boutique. She looking admiringly at the top she'd chosen, pulling the soft fabric up at bit at the sleeve, then letting gravity wisp it back into place.

“I was so grateful that I got this store because everything in that store was totally my fashion sense. I had a hard time choosing,” she said. "I was able to roam the whole store and pick out what I wanted. They were so nice."

Miss Akron/Canton Michelle Denny, of Canton, sported a smart working-class-and-so-proud-of-it look. She'd been thrilled to discover of bejeweled T-shirt that spelled out a glittery message, “Just a Small Town Girl.”

"I saw this shirt, and I thought ...Yes!" she said.

She paired the top with jeans and dark sneakers. The look wasn't too far astray from the polo shirts and work jeans she shows up in at her workplace, she said. But at Timken Steel, where she is a materials engineer, Hitchens said, her feet are clad in steel-toed shoes, rather than sneakers.

Contestants had some fun with the crowd as they showed off apparel and accessories.

Miss Lake Festival Veronica Wende, of Lima, sporting athletic wear, did a quick display of push-ups.

Miss Capital City Autmn Kessler, of Bethesda, wearing a Bob Marley “Don’t Run/Stand Up” tank top, was among contestants flirting with the crowd from behind sunglasses.

Miss Portsmouth Alice Magoto, of Cincinnati, flashed a double peace sign, then gave a saucy kick of the leg on her way off stage.

The next public appearance contestants in the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program will make will be at the Miss Ohio Parade at 2 p.m. Sunday in downtown Mansfield. The parade will travel along Park Avenue West to North Main Street and Richland Carrousel Park, where contestants again will sign autographs.

From 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, contestants will be on hand at the Applebee's restaurants in Ontario and off Ohio 13 at Interstate 71.

Preliminary competitions start at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Renaissance Theatre, with preshow beginning at 7 p.m. Miss Ohio 2016 will be crowned Saturday.

Tickets for all official Miss Ohio events at the Renaissance Theatre are available online or by calling 419-522-2726.

lmartz@gannett.com

419-521-7229

Twitter: @MNJmartz