More than 80 young women from around the state will be competing in the Miss Iowa U.S.A. and Iowa Teen U.S.A. pageants this weekend. The event is being held at Newton High School for the fourth consecutive year.
Linda Bacon, executive director of the Newton Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the economic impact on the community is significant. “(The contestants) bring a lot of family and friends into town with them as well, so not only are our hotels getting filled up, the stores are seeing a lot of business,” Bacon said.
The pageant preliminaries are scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday. The finals will start at 4 p.m. on Sunday. General admission tickets start at $29 for each session.
“I know that last year the finale was standing room only, so it was sold out, but they did let people stand,” Bacon said. The prizes for the top pageant contestants include college scholarships and gift certificates to salons, gyms, and clothing stores.
(Reporting by Randy Van, KCOB, Newton)