Topanga Scherf wins Miss Fountain Valley pageant

Fountain Valley has a new pageant queen.

Topanga Scherf won the title of Miss Fountain Valley in a competition held at Golden West College on Saturday.

Along with the title, Scherf, a sophomore at Cal State Long Beach, was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the Fountain Valley Community Foundation.

The 19-year-old Scherf received a $500 talent award after showcasing her abilities in dance, which she is majoring in at her college. For her 90-second talent piece in the pageant, she choreographed a lyrical dance set to “A Million Dreams,” a song that appeared in “The Greatest Showman.”

She was awarded another $200 for being the Miss Congeniality of the competition. The Miss Fountain Valley winner was also gifted a diamond pendant from Mimi’s Jewelry.

“I have so many different dreams of dance, but I think probably the biggest would be to become a Radio City Rockette,” Scherf said.

Topanga Scherf showcases her dancing talent during the Miss Fountain Valley pageant on Saturday at Golden West College.

(Courtesy of Cathleen McGrath)

Catherine Liang, last year’s Miss California who hailed from San Francisco, came to the proceedings. Bianca Singer, who won the local competition last year, placed the crown on Scherf’s head.

Scherf will represent Fountain Valley at the Miss California pageant on July 1 at the Visalia Convention Center.

She spent 11 years as a Girl Scout, earning a Gold Award for a project on food allergy awareness.

“I think it’s really a cool experience to be able to continue the work that I did with Girl Scouts in earning my Gold Award as a young adult with the Miss America organization,” said Scherf, who plans to continue to raise awareness of food allergies. “Those two organizations are so similar. They’re both encouraging young women to become role models and to build these career skills. I just think it’s a gift to be able to continue that work now.”

The Miss Fountain Valley Scholarship Program pageant featured eight contestants, and there were more than $10,000 in scholarships awarded during the evening. Each contestant performed a talent, walked the red carpet and participated in a 10-minute interview before five judges.

Delilah Cunneen received $1,500 as the runner-up, as well as a $500 award for academics. Alexis Brown took home $1,000 for placing third and an additional $700 for her work in American sign language education and media accessibility.

Delaney Cunneen and Dahlia Cunneen each received $200, for the community service award and the Spirit of Miss Fountain Valley award, respectively.

Sandi Licata, the executive director of the Miss Fountain Valley Scholarship Program, said that the pageant winner makes numerous public appearances during the year, including at the city’s Easter egg hunt, Summer Fest and the Christmas tree-lighting event.

The program draws contestants from several nearby colleges, including UC Irvine, Concordia and Vanguard universities, and Golden West and Orange Coast community colleges.

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