Meredith Ervin, a 22-year-old native of Huntsville, was crowned Miss Talladega County 2011 at B.B. Comer Memorial High School Saturday night.

Ervin is a dance major graduate of Birmingham-Southern College.

Her future plans are to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

Ervin’s platform is “Protecting You/Protecting Me” and she is an advocate for utilizing art, science, math, health and social studies activities to teach grade school and high school students about alcohol abuse prevention and coping strategies to minimize substance abuse.

Ervin was also the talent winner in the pageant performing ballet en pointe to “Rodeo,” and she was also the swimsuit winner.

Ervin walked away with more than $30,000 in scholarships, gifts andservices winning the title.

She was also the recipient of the Heather Adair Dance and Performing Arts Center Scholarship and the Shirley’s Studio of Dance Scholarship.

“I am so excited to be Miss Talladega County,” she said. “I was thrilled when they announced my name.”

Ervin who was chosen fourth runner-up in the Miss Alabama Pageant last month, competing as Miss Point Mallard.

“After the Miss Alabama Pageant, I began thinking about different preliminary pageants in the state and my plans. I knew the Miss Talladega County Pageant has an extremely supportive committee and community,” she continued.

“They want to do everything that they can for their winner and that dedication is very impressive to me. It is so exciting all the way around. I look forward to serving this community and working with my platform here.

Ervin said she would like to visit local schools, something she has been doing in the Huntsville and Birmingham areas in past years to promote minimizing substance abuse.

She was involved in one of four pilot programs in Huntsville where she implemented her platform.

Danielle Watson of Sylacauga was crowned Miss Talladega County’s Outstanding Teen. She is a 16-year-old student at Fayetteville High School and is the daughter of Donnie and Diane Watson.

Her platform is “Early Intervention - Being a Step Ahead,” and she believes her program is essential in contributing to the importance of physical, cognitive, linguistic, social and/or emotional outcomes of young children with disabilities or to prevent the development of learning disabilities.

“I am very excited and am looking forward to this year,” she said.

“I have wanted this for a really long time and it was shocking and super exciting to hear my name called as the winner,” she said.

Watson plans to publicize her platform and begin fundraising efforts to promote her cause.

She received the Suzy Hammonds Vocal Performance Scholarship and with the title, a $250 cash scholarship and $1,924 in other scholarships, gifts and services.

She performed the vocal “Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long,” during the talent competition and tied for the talent award with first runner-up Makenzie Roberson of Sylacauga, who performed at the piano, “Pieczonka Tarantella.”

Second runner-up was Elizabeth Anne Beasley of Eufaula.

First runner-up in the Miss Outstanding Teen event was Elizabeth Wesson of Hartselle; second runner-up was Meschelle Stringer of Trussville; third runner-up was Jessica Brookshire of Snellville, Ga.; and fourth runner-up was Courtney Porter of Trussville.

The People’s Choice award went to Tonesha Threatt of Sylacauga; Miss Congeniality was Rebecca Whitlow of Muscle Shoals; the Community Service Award went to Meghan Muncher of Jasper; The Anna Comer Vocal Performance Scholarship was presented to Hope Sasser of Gardendale; the Janie Giddens Vocal Performance Scholarship was presented to Jasmine Seals; the Judy Rochelle School of Dance Scholarship was presented to Tonesha Threatt and Jasmine Seals of Sylacauga; the Stephanie Kirkland In-kind Dance Scholarship was presented to Shelby Myrick of Childersburg and Elizabeth Anne Beasley of Eufaula.

The physical fitness award went to Elizabeth Anne Beasley and Danielle

Watson and the swimsuit awards went to Ervin, Rebecca Whitlow and Meschelle Stringer.

More than $3,350,000 in scholarships was made available to contestants. Scholarships were made available by Troy University, Jacksonville State University, Central Alabama Community College, Talladega College, and Gadsden State Community College.

Ken Brewer, director for the pageants, said the 2010 event was another big success.

“We received rave reviews,” he said.

“And our volunteers who helped were awesome.”

During the 2010 Miss Alabama Pageant, the Miss Talladega County Pageant received the Largest Increase In In-kind Scholarships Award, the Largest Amount of In-kind Scholarships Offered Award, the Best Public Relations Award and Brewer received the Director of the Year Award.