A new Miss Austin was crowned Saturday night in a ceremony showcasing a myriad of talents.

Molly Thatcher won the crown, which comes with a huge prize package including a $4,000 scholarship, $500 wardrobe award and a gold bracelet.

The scholarship is hers once she fulfills her duties as Miss Austin, representing the city in events throughout the year and interacting with community members and organizations.

Thatcher does not take those duties lightly and feels a special responsibility to Austin's youth.

"I think Miss Austin is important for getting the views of young people into the community," she said after the ceremony.

The issue that Thatcher is most concerned with is getting more blood donors. Her platform this year is "Give Blood: Heroes come in all sizes."

During the evening gown section of the show, Thatcher responded to a question about how to convince more people to donate blood.

"If someone is hesitant to give blood, they should think about the people in their lives that have been touched by blood donations," she said.

Thatcher will major in journalism and psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Interviews with the judges were Saturday afternoon, and counted for 40 percent of their total score. The audience Saturday night saw the other three parts: the swimwear, talent and eveningwear competitions.

The talent competition took up the majority of the evening, with a good variety of entertainment for the audience.

Thatcher played "Toreador Song" on the flute, one of the many musical performances of the evening.

A comedic reading by Jennifer McIntosh gave listeners a new perspective on an old classic, Cinderella. Her piece was "The Evil Stepsister Speaks Out."

"The best thing that I can hope for with my pumpkin is a good piece of pie," McIntosh said during the performance.

Besides Thatcher, a number of others took home honors and awards, including: Runner-up and academic award, Elisa Ingvalson; second runner-up, Amanda Bremner; hostess award, Ellie Bishop; community service award, Amy Jo Eggert; congeniality award, Jennifer McIntosh; non-finalist talent award, Theresa Wytaske; non-finalist interview award, Carissa Sue Wyant.

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by email at matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com