Miss America Heads Back To Atlantic City!

February 14, 2013

We are so very proud to share our excitement with you as we announce the return of the Miss America Pageant to her home in Atlantic City this September, 2013!

This monumental news will be officially announced today in Atlantic City, New Jersey along with state and local officials who are delivering this historic announcement.  The Miss America Organization has reached an agreement to bring our beloved tradition back to its home where it first began on the sandy beach of Atlantic City in 1921. 

 "We are so thrilled to bring Miss America back to her home in Atlantic City.  Throughout the decades, Miss America has evolved into an incredible organization because of your efforts and those of your volunteers who have remained committed to supporting our organization which enables over 12,000 young women every year to enter and participate in this outstanding scholarship program.  Today, Miss America remains an iconic symbol and our roots have always been connected to our history in Atlantic City.  This proud heritage, so rich in history is now our future as we prepare for the most exciting television event ever for Miss America with the support of your organization and our network partner, ABC.  We will also be announcing a new 3 year deal with our network broadcast partner, ABC! The return to Atlantic City will allow us to showcase our beloved Miss America event in the destination where it all began," stated Sam Haskell, III.

Art McMaster added, "We are truly grateful to the Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie and the Lt. Governor, Kim Guadagno who along with the local agencies in Atlantic City came together to create a mutually beneficial partnership to welcome Miss America back.  This is a monumental milestone for our organization to return to the Jersey shore and prepare for the next chapter in our organization’s history.   As we depart Las Vegas, we sincerely thank our friends at Planet Hollywood who have hosted us for the last eight years.  In addition, we thank the City of Las Vegas, who has helped us achieve the best television ratings in eight years.  As we now look to the future and bring Miss America home...we are excited to begin a new era with Atlantic City and our beloved tradition." 

We realize you will have many questions and we will look forward to answering them in the weeks ahead as we finalize the details and exact date for September.  The agreement reached, is a multi-year agreement to bring the pageant back after an eight year absence in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  Our award winning television producer, Anthony Eaton and his company, Tall Pony Productions who have produced the live event in Las Vegas for the last six years, will produce this memorable homecoming event for ABC live in Atlantic City! 

As we begin to prepare for this incredible event, we know we can count on your support to make this move a successful one.  Although two pageants in one year may be a challenge, we are confident that as a family we can all work together to create one of the most memorable events in our pageant’s history.

We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to you for your continued support.

Warmest regards,

Sam Haskell, III
Chairman of the Board

Art McMaster
President / CEO

Promoting Healthy Relationships

This Valentine's Day Miss Tri Counties, Laura Hampikian spent her day doing something a littler different. "While my Facebook news feed blew up with Valentine’s posts, single ladies posts, and a lot of pink and red yesterday, I was driving 300 miles round trip to Wallace, Idaho."

Laura was invited to Wallace Sr/Jr High by their art teacher to speak about her platform, Love What's Real.  he was asked to share her story and to talk about the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Oddly enough, while she was preparing her thoughts for the assembly she saw a "Love What's Real" campaign poster hanging in the hall that she was featured in with a friend her senior year.

Once inside the gym students started filing in for their Valentine's Day Assembly. And after playing a few “relationship” games, Laura was asked to step up the microphone and share her story.

Laura said, "What was incredible was how these teenagers really listened. You could have heard a pin drop. They treated me with such respect. I love teens, I love high school, I love what I do, and I love that the Miss America Organization has allowed me to speak out about my experience and help others."

Miss Idaho Amazing Pageant

On February 9th Sarah Downs, Miss Nampa 2013, Megan Wilson, Miss Gem County 2013, and Ashley Smith, Miss Western Idaho 2012, volunteered at the 1st Annual Miss Idaho Amazing Pageant. It is a pageant for women with mental disabilities. Sarah, Megan, and Ashley volunteered for the pageant. They were paired up with a contestant to be their buddy for the day. 

On pageant day all the buddies and contestants for the pageant met up to practice pageant walks and interviews. The interviews were first. Each contestant had a one minute interview with each of the five judges. After that it was lunch time and then show time! There were professional hair dressers and makeup artists to help the girls get ready, and they could wear anything they wanted. Categories were judges interviews, introduction, and evening wear.

Sarah said, "My contestant's name was Cassie Warner... I had a wonderful experience and am so glad I decided to volunteer. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but everyone had the best attitude and every contestant had the time of their life! I plan on volunteering next year again for sure."

Sarah Downs, Miss Nampa 2013, with her contestant Cassie Warner during practice. 

Sarah Downs, Miss Nampa 2013 | Kaley Sparling, Mrs. Idaho America 2013 | Ashley Smith, Miss Western Idaho 2012

Sarah Downs, Miss Nampa 2013  | Ashley Smith, Miss Western Idaho 2012 | Megan Wilson, Miss Gem County 2013

 Sarah Downs, Miss Nampa 2013, and Megan Wilson, Miss Gem County 2013 with their contestants back stage.

Pancakes, Pageants, And Preparing for the Future

Last week was National Pancake Day! I had a blast going to IHOP in Idaho Falls to help greet all of the customers who came to get free pancakes and support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The proceeds from the Idaho Falls location go specifically to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake. It was fun to see people from all over Southeastern Idaho who came to support such a great cause. I even ran into a student from Teton Valley High School that I visited last October. Many high school students came on their lunch breaks – it made me feel so old that I didn’t recognize many of them from Idaho Falls High School! It feels like yesterday that I was in their shoes.

A group of girls from IF High after enjoying some free pancakes at IHOP.

A group of Shelley High students who were taking an "extended" lunch break. ;)

Just last night, I had the opportunity to speak to the girls competing for Bonneville County’s Distinguished Young Women next month. I was also able to help a few of them individually with their closing statements for their interviews, and I must say that I was blown away by the caliber of girls who are competing this year! WOW! It was a lot of fun to revisit the organization that jump-started and preceded my involvement with the Miss America Organization. The Idaho Falls area is so lucky to have such dedicated volunteers to run scholarship organizations like Distinguished Young Women and Miss Idaho Falls’ Outstanding Teen and Miss Idaho Falls.

Between a few speaking engagements at service clubs like Kiwanis International, elementary school visits, and teaching piano lessons, I have been trying to get my life organized to return to school. I finally have a housing agreement, the best roommate ever, and tuition paid!!!! It is such a sweet feeling to be able to use my scholarship money from Miss Idaho to further my education. I’ll be returning to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah for 2nd block Winter Semester classes, which start February 28th. However, my credit load will be pretty light so that I can return to Idaho Falls and Boise on weekends to do appearances. One of my courses is online through BYU Independent Study, and it will be a blessing to work on that course at my own pace, on my own schedule since I will still be traveling a lot. BYU Independent Study was a fabulous sponsor to have for Miss America this year, and they were a lot of fun to work with.

This week I’ll be in Boise to volunteer at the St. Luke’s Children’s Medical Center Pediatric Department, and for a Valentine’s Day VIP Celebration at the Veteran’s Hospital. And I’m hoping to deliver some handbags along the way. Keep on the lookout for pictures coming soon!

Until next time,

Whitney Wood

Miss Idaho 2012

National Pancake Day

What do Crowns, pancakes, and fundraising have in common? National Pancake Day. It isn't just a day for free pancakes at IHOP. It is a day to help raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Miss Southeastern Idaho, Kayli Schwendiman spent time at her local IHOP raising funds and meeting everyone coming in. She was there to help raise funds but also to encourage other volunteers and let them know how much they were helping. 

Kayli said, "All of them were so excited when I told them that they were helping to raise money for kids who were sick and needed some help. All of them loved my crown and wanted pictures with it."

Beyond that, she was able to reconnect with a girl she had met at one of her previous appearances. "One of girls [with the cheer leading outfit on] was actually at a previous event I had done in August and she was so excited to be there with me. I ended up eating dinner with her and her mom and we had a great time eating, looking at her cheer leading pictures, and having her try on my crown."