Abingdon Woman Crowned As 'Miss Bel Air 2014'

An Abingdon native who has marched in Bel Air's Fourth of July Parade for four years with her flute has been named "Miss Bel Air Independence Day 2014," according to a statement from the Bel Air Independence Day Committee.

Cynthia Ford, who is a junior at Towson University majoring in music education, was selected from a competitive applicant pool, according to the committee, which is a nonprofit group of volunteers that organizes the festivities.

Ford marched in the Fourth of July Parade for four years as a flutist in the marching band for Edgewood High School before graduating in 2011, according to the committee.

"The selection process was perhaps the hardest we've ever had," said Miss Bel Air Selection Committee chair Michael Blum, who is also the parade chairman and vice president of the Independence Day Committee.

This is the fourth year for the Miss Bel Air competition, and the selection process involves interviewing, according to a statement from the committee.

"...we were astounded by how prepared, how knowledgeable, how interesting and how really super our applicants were," Blum said. "It was really tough to select one winner, but we think that Cynthia Ford will be a marvelous Miss Bel Air this year, and we look forward to introducing her to the greater Bel Air community very soon."

Miss Bel Air helps promote the Fourth of July celebration in the weeks leading up to the event, and she acts as the hostess.

The Independence Day celebration, one of the largest in the region, takes place from dawn to night on Friday, July 4, according to the statement. Here are some of the activities:

• Flag-raising at 6:45 a.m. in front of Bel Air High School
• Pancake breakfast
• Daytime competitions like "Uncle Sam Says" and watermelon eating contest
• Parade down Main Street at 6 p.m., led by Miss Bel Air

Last year's Miss Bel Air, Laura Patnaude, assisted with the formal "crowning" of the new Miss Bel Air, the committee reported.