Barceló Bavaro Beach Resort to host 2014 Miss U.S. Latina Pageant

PRLog (Press Release)

The Miss U.S. Latina™ Pageant returns to the Dominican Republic for its 26th edition, this time to take place at the luxurious Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe in Punta Cana. The Finals Show and Coronation will be held Saturday, August 30 at the Gran Teatro Bavaro. The event itself will begin on August 24 with the arrival of the contestants for the week-long schedule of preliminary competitions, rehearsals and other pageant and fun activities. “We are thrilled to return to this amazing resort which hosted our world finals in 2011 and it was an incredibly wonderful experience for all,” said pageant president and founder Acirema Alayeto. “This is our 15th anniversary with Barcelo Hotels & Resorts and we could not celebrate it at a better location than this one, where the first Barceló hotel in Latin America was built in 1985.” Ms. Alayeto went on to note that Barcelo Hotels & Resorts continuously play an important role in the travel & tourism industries’ worldwide environmental efforts.  For years, this luxury resort complex in Punta Cana has been dedicated to meet the highest international standards in regards to the environment, conservation and corporate social responsibility, earning it Green Globe certification in 2013. That same year, the Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort received the Check Safety First (CSF) Award for its operations' high quality standards.

“We are proud to be associated with the worldwide Barceló hotel chain and the excellence they represent, given that our program also promotes high standards as we seek participants who fit our motto of “More than a model…a Role Model™,” added Ms.Alayeto. Miss U.S. Latina is the first national pageant system established in the country in 1983 exclusively for Latinas. It continues to be the only one whose winner advances to a world competition – the Miss Latin America of the World pageant. Single women of Latin or Hispanic heritage between the ages of 19 and 27 are showcased in this national competition that encourages academic pursuits, personal development, cultural awareness and community service. Contestants are selected from across the USA through affiliate state pageants.

Ashley Garner of El Paso, Texas is the current Miss U.S. Latina titleholder and she will be crowning her successor in Punta Cana. Ashley, who is of Mexican and Afro-American heritage, was crowned last summer at the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. She went on to win Third Runner-up placement at the world finals last year, so the parameters for the 2014 contestants are high.
Previous Miss U.S. Latina titleholders have come from Arizona, California, Florida, Kansas, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah and Washington, D.C., and they have been of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Guatemalan, Costa Rican, Colombian, Brazilian, Peruvian, Bolivian, Nicaraguan and Dominican descent, reflecting the wide diversity of nationalities that comprises the large Latino population living in states all around this country.

Miami-based Organización Miss America Latina Inc. produces the Miss U.S. Latina national pageant, as well as the Miss Latin America of the World international pageant. Over the years, the Miss U.S. Latina Pageant has been hosted by various Latin American countries, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Mexico.
All eligible Latinas are encouraged to participate in their state preliminary for the chance at living this amazing experience. Interested contestants can get more details visiting http://www.missuslatina.com. Find information on Barcelo Hotels & Resorts at http://www.barcelo.com.

Miss USA Nana Meriwether to Compete in Wildfox Model Beach Volleyball: "Maybe I'll Spread Rumors or Something"

By Kat Bein (New Times Miami)

Right now, New York City is floundering in icy, slushy chaos. The high hardly breaks 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile, everything here at home is perfect blue skies and sunscreen on sandy beaches. It's no wonder Miss USA 2012 Nana Meriweather can't wait to get her butt down here. The former Olympically-trained volleyball player will brush up on her spiking skills and try to lead her team of gorgeous bodies to victory in the fifth-annual Wildfox Model Beach Volleyball tournament. It's competitive sports for a good cause, with support for the Irie Foundation -- but watching all those models compete is worth it alone, right?

Meriweather is no stranger to good-deeds. Her family has been working with South African communities her whole life, and she recently founded her own foundation toward that goal. We spoke to her via phone to learn more about her philanthropic efforts, her sneaky game-plan, and her unfair advantage.

New Times: What have you been up to? Nana Meriwether: I was Miss USA last year, and I gave up my title in June. I continued to live in New York City, and I work in development and fundraising for Meriwether foundation which is a non-profit organization that I helped co-found. We work in rural and very urban communities in Southern Africa. We've grown now to five countries. We're in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi. I'm passionate about it, and I love to do it, so that's what I do during the day. But at night, I still do events and appearances out of New York.

I'd love to hear what drew you to that cause in the first place. My mom was born and raised in South Africa. My father is an American doctor and in the early 1980s, my mom was studying in the states and she met my dad. They moved to South Africa, they were supposed to stay a year and they ended up staying eight years. I was born during this time. My dad was working in the local hospital, and my mom would help empower women through small business, such as organic farming. They ended up helping over half a million people while they were there for eight years, and that's what this is based off of. We continued working, traveling back and forth, but we started work with the nonprofit in 2007.

Have you ever participated in this crazy Wildfox model volleyball competition? I have not. This is my first time. Actually, my first time in Miami was during Art Basel, this past one. I loved it. I'm very excited.

Are you naturally sporty? Have you played volleyball before? I have. I played volleyball for UCLA, and then I played in Puerto Rico and trained for the Olympics. I retired soon after that, so I haven't touched a ball since 2006. We'll see how this weekend goes.
You could be the sleeper cell! You could just come through and wreck it.But I haven't played in a while.

Do you know what team you're playing on? Are you cooperating with a certain modeling agency? I think the first day, they randomly pick names out of a hat and then you're matched with that team. I think there's 12 teams, and all the people participating are models, not people.

Well models are people, too. Yeah, they're a special breed of people. That's what makes this event amazing. They're really competitive, and they'll bring attention, and it's all for a good cause. It's a very uniquely-structured event that I'm looking forward to.

You brought up a good point, that models are very competitive in nature. At first, you think of a bunch of models playing volleyball, you think all these skinny girls are going to be running around in their bikinis, but I bet they're going to be really serious and really go for the throat. Probably even more so than the coaches. All the coaches are pretty professional or current volleyball players. They have the same nature, I think, when it comes to competition. I think it's going to be a very exciting weekend.

There are coaches. Does that mean you guys are going to have a chance to practice with one another and come up with a game plan? I think so. I believe that we may even play a game against each other. This weekend is full of surprises. There's going to be a bunch of celebrities and volleyball players. It's a great mix of different worlds coming together for a god cause.

Last year Jamie Fox performed, and that was a big surprise. Anything can happen. There's a stage and a DJ. It's like five degrees in New York. I can't wait to go to the beach in the sun. It's going to be a fun weekend. Is there actually a champion team that will rise out of this competition? What do the winners get? Yes! I think the champions get a prize. It's a big gift with all the sponsors, so there's something to work towards.

Other than just bragging rights, which are pretty good.I think that's way more valuable than the prize package. The agency who wins can just brag for a year. I can't wait to see if there's briberies. I'll learn more when I hit the ground, start asking around. Maybe I'll spread rumors or something to bring the competition down.

The 5th Annual Wildfox Model Beach Volleyball Tournament. Hosted by Miss USA 2012 Nana Meriwether. Saturday, Feb. 8, and Sunday, Feb. 9, at 8th and Ocean Dr., Miami Beach. The event begins at 10 a.m. daily and is free and open to the public.

All Hail The Asparagus Queen!

by NPR STAFF

Forget Miss USA and Miss Universe. Think you've got what it takes to be the Asparagus Queen?
Mainstream beauty pageants still get tons of applicants every year (even after the dip in participation during the 2008 recession). The same can't be said for the rural festival pageant circuits, The Wall Street Journal's Lindsay Gellman tells Audie Cornish on All Things Considered. 

Be it pecans, asparagus or watermelons, many farming communities have also had a tradition of granting their prized commodity crops their very own monarchs. However, interest among young women is waning and the crop of candidates is dwindling, says Gellman, who covered the phenomenon in a recent story. The reason is partly financial strain — the tab for the dress, jewelry and professional makeup services can easily add up to hundreds of dollars. Gellman adds that there may also be a changing attitude toward pageants that makes them less appealing for younger women.

"The participation level is [also] an important indicator of the strength of the community engagement and pride in the cultural commodity it's tied to," says Gellman. Take, for example, the annual pageant held by the National Asparagus Festival in Oceana, Mich.But local communities aren't giving up on the traditions just yet. And many have turned to changing the rules to spice up the competition. For years, the title of Mrs. Asparagus was traditionally reserved for farmers' wives. But there wasn't much of a competition two years ago when one of only two participants dropped out at the last minute. By default, the crown went to the one remaining candidate.

"The goal of this pageant is to select a farmer's wife-type to represent the asparagus industry," Gellman says. "And so to not have a choice of women is very awkward." So organizers decided to throw out the wedding ring requirement, change the title to Asparagus Queen and open up the competition to both single and married women. They're not the only ones, though. Other pageants are also finding ways to garner more interest: The Ohio Beef Queen has become the gender-neutral Ohio Beef Ambassador; Ms. Kumquat is now crowned alongside a Mr. Kumquat in Dade City, Fla. And the board members of Louisiana's Shrimp and Petroleum Festival are personally calling up qualified young women to compete. The number of applicants for the Shrimp and Petroleum Queen rose because, Gellman says, "It's very hard to turn down a personal telephone invitation."

Miss USA Erin Brady, at Maxim party: 'Bummed' not to be attending Super Bowl

By Janelle Griffith/The Star-Ledger 

Miss USA winner, Erin Brady said she is "bummed" that she will not be attending the Super Bowl game at MetLife Stadium today, as the Denver Broncos face the Seattle Seahawks. Brady, a Connecticut resident, was a guest atMaxim's annual Super Bowl bash Saturday night at Espace in New York City.

"I will be cheering from hopefully, some kind of fun Super Bowl party with amazing food," Brady told The Star-Ledger. "I have a couple of options. I'm trying to figure out exactly what I want to do."

While in town this week, Brady said she took advantage of other Super Bowl-related activities such as Super Bowl Boulevard — a 14-block outdoor celebration — set up on Broadway between 34th and 47th streets. "I was there as they were setting up the big toboggan slide," she said. Brady also attended the NFL honors Saturday at Radio City Music Hall, which she described as "a really cool experience to be a part of."

More ads designed for MISS MIAMI VIP

Ads designed for the very first  MISS MIAMI VIP Pageant | The show will take place @ The Miami Airport Hilton Hotel on February 9th. For more info, visit www.missmiamivip.com or call 305-401-7254

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MISS USA CONTESTANTS MODEL NASCAR GEAR

by Pat DeCola, NASCAR.com

The Miss USA and Miss Teen USA titleholders from Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame last Friday, with a special guest guide in Nationwide Series driver Ryan Reed.

Reed offered insight into his racing life as he showed the visitors around the facility, including a trip to the newly renovated Glory Road 2.0, a simulated pit stop competition and friendly round of iRacing at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Each of the contestants attended the event in NASCAR Superstore gear that you can wear yourself. Check out the gallery below, with a link included to the T-shirts being modeled.

Miss Louisiana Teen USA Mary Risener chats about NASCAR.

Q: OK, they tell me you're the biggest NASCAR fan out of the group. How'd you get into it?

Risener: My grandparents are huge fans of NASCAR and that's how I got into it. They always come over to our house and watch it because we have a big TV, and they love to watch all the races. I haven't gotten to attend one live, but I would love to in the future. And I look forward to going with them one day.

Q: Which track would you want to go to?

Risener: There isn't a specific track I'd like to go to, just any one in general. I would just really love to go for the whole experience, just to see it live, you know? It's pretty amazing on television, so it makes me think what would it be like in person.

See Risener and the other on-hand contestants wearing NASCAR gear below that you can find at Store.NASCAR.com

Gambling with Miss USA: Erin Brady offers Super Bowl prop bet advice

The coin toss, the national anthem, the halftime show: hundreds of prop bets available add one more wrinkle of entertainment to the Super Bowl. Miss USA Erin Brady visited SB Nation to dole out some gambling advice for Super Bowl XLVIII!

Ads designed for MISS MIAMI VIP

Ads designed for the very first  MISS MIAMI VIP Pageant | The show will take place @ The Miami Airport Hilton Hotel on February 9th. For more info, visit www.missmiamivip.com or call 305-401-7254

We offer graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs! • ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANT SYSTEMS WELCOME! • Feel free to TAG & SHARE!

Grace Chan Wins Miss Chinese International Pageant 2014

Twenty-two-year-old Grace Chan from Hong Kong was named winner of the 2014 Miss Chinese Pageant. Chan, who was also crowned Miss Hong Kong in 2013, posed for photos with the first runner-up Cindy Zhong, from Vancouver, Canada, and second runner-up Lucia Lorigiano, from Montreal, Canada.

Becoming Miss New Mexico; After watching Miss USA, Kamryn Blackwood decided she wanted to compete

By Hannah Grover The Daily Times

FARMINGTON — In the summer of 2012, Kamryn Blackwood and her father, Lynn Blackwood, sat down to watch the Miss USA contest on television. Kamryn Blackwood turned to her father and told him she wanted to compete in the Miss New Mexico pageant. And three weeks ago, Farmington High School graduate Kamryn Blackwood took home the Miss New Mexico crown. She is now preparing to compete in the Miss USA contest in mid-June. 

The road to becoming Miss New Mexico wasn't short for the 21-year-old Blackwood. Her parents encouraged her to focus on her degree. She enrolled in college at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, where she had been given a tennis scholarship. But she never gave up her dream of one day becoming Miss USA.

In 2013, she and her father attended the 2013 Miss New Mexico competition to watch. The two of them sat in the back. Lynn Blackwood said he kept asking his daughter if she still wanted to compete. She said she turned to him and said, "Yeah, Dad, and I'll win." She watched as Miss New Mexico 2013 was crowned. "To watch the girl's face when she won, I wanted that feeling," Blackwood said. After deciding to compete, Blackwood came up with a one-year plan. And she knew she would win. Blackwood piled up school credits during fall semester so she would have time to focus on the Miss New Mexico competition during the spring. She also began to train. "I have a very athletic walk and a very athletic build," she said.

She found a coach to teach her how to walk and she started to exercise her core more in order to be "bikini fit." She also started to train for the interview portions of the competition. When the competition came, the questions surprised her. "In your mind, you're thinking they're going to be very political," she said. Instead, she was asked what her New Year's resolution was. Blackwood thought about it and about her training. She said training to be Miss New Mexico had gotten her thinking about the importance of health and fitness. She said her resolution is to pass this message on to children. Another important part of preparing for the competition was choosing a design for her dress. She said she already had a design picked out in her head.

The gown was an emerald green with long sleeves and a high cut neck. However, it had an extremely low back, that caught the audience's attention. She said one of her friends later told her that when she turned around there was a collective, "whoa." After winning Miss New Mexico, she became one of only a few girls to compete in Miss USA without any prior experience. Blackwood's parents have supported her the entire time. However, Lynn Blackwood said he tries to remember that he didn't win the award.

"I just be Dad," he said. "That's what she wants." He said for the most part he just talks with her and listens to her. Kamryn Blackwood said she appreciates this from both her father and her mother, Tyra Lopez. "Sometimes I don't need an answer, I just need someone to listen," she said. In addition to support from her family, Blackwood has received support from teammates and the university. Her picture is displayed on the university's website as one of the first things visitors see.

"There's a little pocket in Florida that's for Miss New Mexico," Lynn Blackwood said. Like all other contestants in Miss USA, Blackwood has a platform she promotes in media interviews, and talking to community leaders and others with influence. The Miss New Mexico organization decided to make the platform breast and ovarian cancer, but Blackwood is also promoting National Day of Care, which is a Farmington organization focused on building houses in Africa. She currently serves on the organization's board of directors. Blackwood said her father and brother we're involved in missionary work before she got involved with National Day of Care through a group from Pinon Hills Community Church. "Hearing their stories and how their lives were changed and they changed lives, how could I not go?" she said.

While in Kenya, Kamryn Blackwood and a group of 19 other people built 10 houses. She hopes to increase the number of houses built in Kenya while serving as Miss New Mexico. For the organization's platform, Blackwood is taking her cues from Farmington. Every year in October, Farmington hosts "Get Pinked," which raises awareness and money for breast cancer. One part of "Get Pinked" is the "Pink Glove Dance," in which people from around the community dance wearing pink gloves. The dances are filmed and entered in a video competition. Kamryn Blackwood wants to introduce this event to other communities across the state. "It really brings the community together," she said.

Fil-Dutch-American model wins Miss New York 2014

Source: ABS-CBNnew

NEW YORK - Filipino-Dutch-American Candace Kendall was crowned the 2014 Miss New York on Sunday night at the Performing Arts Center in Purchase, New York. The Rochester, New York native will represent New York in Donald Trump's Miss USA pageant this summer. If she wins the Miss USA pageant, she will go on to represent the United States at the 2014 Miss Universe competition.

Kendall, whose father is Filipino-Dutch, was also crowned Miss Teen New York in 2006. The 25-year-old Kendall was a student accounting assistant at the St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York.
After graduating in 2011, she has been working as a professional model. In a previous ABS-CBN News interview, Kendall talked about her Filipino-Dutch roots. "My father is Dutch and Filipino, my last name Kuykendall is Dutch, but my grandparents were from the Philippines, and I heard a little bit of Tagalog from them but I don't now how to speak it myself," Kendall said.

She said she dreams of being crowned Miss USA and then Miss Universe eventually. Proud of her Filipino roots, Kendall said her unique mixed ethnicity is an advantage as a beauty queen and fashion model. It paved the way for a modeling gig in Singapore. "I'm fortunate to have a Filipino background. It really helped me in Singapore... It kinda gives a look where a lot more people can relate to it. It helps me in being in Asia to model there," she said. Kendall said if given the chance she would like to visit and possibly model in the Philippines in the near future. "I would definitely consider that. I just wanna pursue my dream first of becoming Miss USA. In the future i think that would be a great opportunity," she said.

Legally blind, Kristina Blum wins Miss California USA Congeniality title

BY MARILYN BLAKE PHILLIP/CORRESPONDENT


Step back Sandra Bullock – Bishop’s Kristina Blum is the new Miss Congeniality, after winning the title in the Miss California USA 2014 pageant.

Representing the Eastern Sierra, 22-year-old Blum competed in the Miss California USA 2014 Pageant Jan. 2-4 in Long Beach. She is the first blind contestant to compete in that pageant and “hopes to challenge others to be all they can be no matter what challenges they face,” said Micah Williams, Blum’s acting public relations person and significant other.

No stranger to beating the odds or the pageant competition, Blum, who was born with the genetic condition of albinism and is legally blind, was crowned Miss City of Bishop in the city’s inaugural pageant in November 2013. During her one-year reign, Blum represented Bishop at myriad events, facilitated a customer service skills workshop and embarked on a career in tourism. Since May 2013, as a visitor center host, Blum has been greeting locals and travelers alike at the Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.

Nia Sanchez Crowned Miss Nevada USA 2014

By faraway

Nia Sanchez, Miss South Las Vegas was crowned Miss Nevada USA 2014 pageant on Sunday night, January 12 after competing against 32 contestants from all across the state at Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall on the Campus of UNLV in Nevada. Chelsea Caswell of Summerlin who crowned Miss Nevada USA 2013 , handed over the coveted crown to Sanchez, who placed first runner up at Miss Tourismo Latino in Ecuador
Sanchez, 24, won after passing three equal categories: evening gown, swimsuit and private question-and-answer session. Stephanie Cook , Miss Spring Valley finished first runner-up while Miss Clark County, Jessica Davis was named the second runner-up.

Brittany McGowan, Miss Southern Highlands placed as third runner-up while the fourth runner-up selected as Cierra Jackson, Miss Sunrise Manor. Sanchez , who wins a scholarship to Lindenwood University will represent Nevada at the finals of the nationally televised Miss USA 2014 pageant in June, which it could be held at Donald Trump's Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Doral, Florida. The winner of Miss USA 2014 will represent the United States at the 63rd edition of the Miss Universe 2014 pageant.

In the same night Alexa Taylor, Miss Summerlin was crowned Miss Nevada Teen USA 2014.

Las Cruces teen captures Miss New Mexico Teen USA title

By Andi Murphy
http://www.lcsun-news.com

LAS CRUCES >> After being named runner-up last year, Aundria Littlejohn, 17, knew she had to run for Miss New Mexico Teen USA again. "I decided I wanted to do it again because I wanted to win," she said.

And she did.

On Jan. 4, Littlejohn was crowned Miss New Mexico Teen USA by former pageant winner, Jacqueline Cai at the Las Cruces Convention Center, scoring the highest in the interview, swimsuit and evening gown portions of the competition. For the interview she was asked what she would do with her title if she won. Littlejohn responded she would make her family proud, campaign against bullying and give New Mexico the best representation possible. The second question was whether she thought Miley Cyrus was a good role model to which she responded, "she does what she wants and from that we can take away, as women of today, that we can do what ever we want -- not to that extreme."

She also wore a pink two-piece bikini for the swimsuit portion and a royal blue, double-sleeved evening gown with white rhinestones across the top and a deep back. The judges looked at 30 teens in their best bikinis and dresses, evaluating posture, fitness and elegance. When numbers were tallied and Littlejohn was announced the winner, her legs gave out and she sank to the floor.

"It was really crazy," she said. She gave a hug to runner-up, Saryn Swanson of Bernalillo, and took her first walk as Miss New Mexico Teen USA. For the rest of the year, she will be touring the state as an ambassador of Miss USA to attend school assemblies, charitable events and special events, such as the Governor's Ball, she said. She will have the perfect opportunity to reach thousands of grade school students across the state to talk to them about bullying, a subject she's familiar with.

"I've gone through that (bullying) since middle school where I found that kids -- for some reason -- found me easy to pick on," she said. "A lot of kids are not telling their parents. I want them to understand that they can get help and things will be OK." She would like to focus on the victims of bullying and make their lives better by speaking directly to them and letting them know that bullying is not only physical -- it's emotional, too -- and it does not have to stop anyone from doing anything they want to do, she said.

Littlejohn has moved around a bit and came from Las Cruces by way of Arizona and Los Angeles. The family follows their father R. Todd Littlejohn, who is a football coach, and currently with Aggie football.

Aundria Littlejohn, a senior at Centennial High School, has already been accepted to NMSU, but still has her options open to attend other colleges. She hopes to become a political campaign manager or a sports broadcaster because she loves sports, especially football, she said. She's a big San Francisco 49ers fan and loves to root for teams that her father's players are playing on, she said.

The rest of the Littlejohns are Toi-Yan, mother, and little sisters Aniya, 13, and Ahria, 10, both of whom want to join pageants like their big sister, Aundria said. "We're very proud of both our ladies, both our winners," said Curtis Rosemond, president of CR Productions, the company that produces the Miss USA pageant. The 2014 Miss New Mexico USA is Kamryn Blackwood, 21, from Farmington. Her campaign is AIDS and breast cancer awareness, Rosemond said.

Both New Mexico pageant winners will go on to the national Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants some time in August. From there, pageant winners will go to the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss New Mexico pageants are also charity events and the organizers and contestants raised $7,000 for the Tough Enough To Wear Pink campaign and $79,000 in the last 14 years for dozens of local nonprofit organizations, Rosemond said.

The Miss USA pageant is a product of Miss Universe and is owned by NBC and Donald Trump. It was founded in 1952.

Miss Earth Florida pageant becomes Lee County event

Written by Tim Engstrom

A Fort Myers-based pageant production company has added a new jewel to its crown and Southwest Florida will share in the treasure. Envy Pageant Productions has acquired the franchise rights for the Miss Earth Florida and Miss Earth Florida Teen pageant set for March. Envy owner Suzi Hosfeld said the event will draw contestants from across the state and their families. “When you bring a state pageant to a city, it has an impact,” Hosfeld said. “If you have 50 girls, that means you have 50 hotel rooms, plus more for parents and grandparents and people flying in from all over the state. They will be going to restaurants and sight-seeing.”

Envy also produces the Miss Florida U.S. International and Miss Florida American Beauty state pageants as well as many local pageants. Hosfeld, a former Miss Wisconsin USA, founded the company in 1990 as a sister company to Envy Models & Talent. Today, the talent agency accounts for about 80 percent of her business revenue, while pageants account for about 20 percent but are growing. Pageants operate on a thin margin, Hosfeld said. A state-level event can cost about $60,000 to stage, offset by sponsorships and support from national organizations. Hosfeld said the Miss Earth event will expand to a three-day competition in 2015, which would mean additional room nights at local hotels, restaurants and attractions.
“We are going to adjust the schedule a little earlier or later next year so that we are not right in the middle of our peak season,” Hosfeld said. “That way, we can bring some business to the hotels when they are not as busy.”

Founded in 2001, the Miss Earth pageant is focused on candidates and winners who promote and get involved in the preservation of the environment. Contestants will compete in swimwear, evening gown and a short interview with the judges. Winners will compete at the national event this summer in New Mexico and will receive a prize package valued at more than $6,000. The international event is planned for the Philippines. “We look for girls who want to get out and be part of their community and truly be involved,” Hosfeld said. “People don’t always take us seriously because they think we are just a lot of pretty people running around. It’s just not true.” Client Alexander Burgos said working with Envy has helped him personally and professionally. “You get a lot of experience and you learn to speak and interact with people comfortably,” Burgos said.

Michaela Poole, Mrs. Florida American Beauty 2014 and an Envy client, said the pageants help instill confidence in contestants so they can take leadership roles in their communities. Poole, a lifelong dancer, said she was always comfortable on stage, but less so when meeting and talking to people. Not anymore, she said. “I really like making appearances and meeting people,” said Poole, the co-owner of Rhythm in Motion dance studio in Cape Coral. “I think we have helped each other’s businesses through the exposure.”

Miss America to announce date for pageant

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - January 10, 2014 (WPVI)

Miss America is back in Atlantic City.

Nina Davuluri on Friday will announce the date for the next pageant in which her reign will end.

The Syracuse, N.Y., native was crowned Miss America in September in Atlantic City. The pageant, which originated in the Jersey shore resort in 1921, spent six years in Las Vegas before returning to New Jersey.

Davuluri is expected to stop at Atlantic City High School to encourage students to follow their dreams.

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