Miss City of Maricopa pageant this weekend

Saturday's winner of the Miss City of Maricopa pageant may not be from Maricopa, and it wouldn’t be the first time.

Five contestants – three from Maricopa – are lined up to compete this year.

For the two-year local pageant to be open only to Maricopa residents there must be at least four qualified contestants.

“We had a lot of interest, but girls get nervous and back out,” said pageant co-director Jennifer Mix said. “We are hoping that after a few more years we will be able to generate enough interest that we don’t have to open it up to the larger community.”

This year’s pageant is 7 p.m. Saturday in the Maricopa High School lecture hall, 45012 W. Honeycutt Ave. The theme, in commemoration of Arizona’s Centennial, is Get Your Kicks on Route 66. Tickets are $10.

Executive director Jeanette Masters said she and Mix have done everything they can think of to get word out about the pageant, now in its third year.

Masters said she and other organizers visited the local high school twice, worked with previous contestants for referrals, talked with youth groups, sent out emails and used Facebook to promote the pageant to find four local young women to compete.  

But by Aug. 18, only one qualified local contestant had applied, forcing organizers to accept nonlocal contestants.

“I really want to keep this pageant local, but if we cannot get our young ladies to commit, it is unfortunate, but we will need to let those outside the city compete,” Masters said.

Last year’s Miss City of Maricopa, Andrea Malinski, is from Tempe.

Even though the pageant is “in its infancy,” Mix said it was still valuable to the community because in addition to the opportunity to help fund a contestant’s education, “it provides an opportunity for young women to gain confidence and higher self esteem.”

“What community can’t use more young women who value education, talent, and giving back to the community?” she said.

The crowned winner is required to participate in at least 20 hours of community service and, as a representative of the city, must attend Stagecoach Days, the Mini Miss Pageant, the Salsa Festival, the Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament and the Great American Barbecue.
The pageant itself is not the problem, Masters said.

As early as July, when the contest was still closed to outside entrants, an executive director of another pageant asked if the Maricopa contest would be open because one of her contestants wanted to enter it, and several other contestants outside the city asked about entering.

“This has shown me that not only has Andrea been a fantastic example to our community, the reputation of our Miss City of Maricopa pageant has gained favor in the state pageant setting due to her service,” Masters said.  

Councilman Bridger Kimball donated the $1,000 first-place scholarship to this year’s contest.

Kimball said the donation is part of his announced plan to donate his councilman’s salary to charitable causes.

“The potential for the individual to win the scholarship money, and use if for their education is a worthy cause,” Kimball said.

State Sen. Steve Smith, R-Maricopa, who has judged the pageant the last two years, will be the masters of ceremony for this year’s pageant.

“I think it’s a great thing for the community,” Smith said. “It’s different and new.”