Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Locals Are In State Pageant

Forty-seven women across Arkansas will be pursuing a dream when they compete in the 1998 Miss Arkansas pageant to be held June 17-20 at the New Hot Springs Civic and Convention Center.

One of the contestants will be crowned at the end of the Saturday night show by outgoing queen Stacy Freeman of Sheridan and will receive more than $46,000 in scholarships, prizes and awards.

She will also represent the state of Arkansas at the Miss America pageant to be held the week of September 13-19 at the Atlantic City Convention Center Auditorium on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J.

At Hot Springs, the contestants will be competing in talent (40%), private interview (30%), eveningwear (15%) and swimsuit (15%) phases.

The show starts each night at 8 p.m. with reserve seat tickets available by calling 1-800- 264-6477, or persons may purchase seats at the door.

The Miss Arkansas pageant is sponsored by the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Hot Springs Jaycees. The producer and chairman of te board of the pageant is Bob Wheeler of Hot Springs, while Elizabeth Farris of the spa city serves as executive director, secretary and treasurer, and Bobbie Horton of Hot Springs is the vice president of the organization.

The contestants, including Jessie Ward of Prescott, made their first official appearance in the annual arrival ceremonies Sunday, June 14, at the Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa.

Stage competition will begin on tonight, Wednesday, June 17. The contestants are divided into three groups with one group each night competing in swimsuit, another in eveningwear and the third in talent.

On Saturday night, the top 10 semi-finalists will be announced by mistress of ceremonies Regina Blakely and then those contestants will then compete for the 1998 Miss Arkansas crown. Blakely is the longtime stage spokesperson for the pageant. She lives with her husband, Kip, in Potomac, Md. She is a former Miss Arkansas and a native of Springdale.

Contestants will also be feted at the annual Miss Arkansas pageant luncheon to be held on Friday, June 19, at the convention center. It is already a sellout, according to pageant officials.

Judges for this year's show that will feature Disney music are Dr. Dennis Momyer of Honolulu, Hawaii; Nancy Marston of Dallas, Texas; Myron Martin of Las Vegas, Nev.; Bunnie Carolyn Holbert of North Little Rock; and Michael Jones of Vicksburg, Miss.

Ward goes to the pageant as Miss University of Arkansas Community College at Hope. She will be competing against 46 other contestants for the crown of Miss Arkansas.