Carley Arnold
The 2018 Miss Iowa U.S.A. and Miss Iowa Teen U.S.A. will be crowned this weekend in Newton.
Both pageants are being held in the Auditorium at Newton High School. “We’re glad to partner with them. It’s a great opportunity for our community to bring lots of tourism in,” Newton School Superintendent Bob Callaghan said.
This marks the sixth consecutive year that Newton has hosted the event and Callaghan is hoping it will return in years to come, as improvements to the auditorium are in the works.
“We’re looking at trying to redo the sound, we just put new curtains in there, and we’re going to be looking at lighting as part of our 10-year plan,” Callaghan said.
This year’s pageant will feature 13 Miss Iowa USA contestants and 35 young women vying for the title of Miss Iowa Teen U.S.A. The winners will represent the state at the National Pageants. Kelsey Weier of West Des Moines was crowned 2017 Miss Iowa USA, while Carley Arnold of Chariton earned the Miss Iowa Teen U.S.A. crown.
(Thanks to Randy Van, KCOB, Newton)