Southern women are phenomenal. At least, the ones I know who reside in our neck of the woods sure are.

They can throw together a sumptuous feast, stage a show, practically smother you in southern hospitality and still find time to put on their lipstick and get all &#8220gussied” up.

Such are the women who make up the Miss Greater Greenville Scholarship Board, affectionately known as the &#8220Miss GG gals.”

As Lifestyles reporter, I am unofficially &#8220one of the girls.” But what I contribute is a tiny fraction of what it takes to make this program a successful one.

This top-notch team has been selling and creating ads, soliciting donations and gifts, assembling props, tablecloths, et al.,

organizing the light and sound engineers, preparing delicious meals, creating goodie bags for all 17 contestants, and, in general, making sure the show goes on in grand style.

Many of these women have jobs and families on top of their Miss GG duties. Kudos also go to those patient and understanding husbands and children.

Saturday night some board members were scurrying around back stage, keeping the contestants on top of things. Others worked to set up the post-production buffet in the reception room. Everyone pitched in to clean up late that night as the reception wound down.

Those who were able to watch the show couldn't, naturally, show favoritism toward any contestants.

You could watch the Miss GG gals' faces and tell they were hoping none of the contestants would get tongue-tied, lose their footing or hit a sour note. For a night, they were all &#8220our” girls.

Most preliminaries have just a handful of people who orchestrate the local program. Miss Greater Greenville has a couple of dozen hard-working folks.

Judging from the comments made by contestants and their families, the Miss GG treatment is superior to that of pretty much any other preliminary they have been involved in.

Is it the strong community support? The delicious meals? The goodie bags? The aura of graciousness and true southern hospitality? Is it something in the water?

Whatever &#8220it” is, the Miss GG gals have it in spades.

Congratulations on another successful event, and good luck to Kimberly Kirby, our lovely new Miss Greater Greenville 2006.

Angie Long is Lifestyles reporter for The Greenville Advocate. She can be reached at 382-3111 ext. 132 or via email at angie.long@greenvilleadvocate.com.