Miss Phila. pageant attracts few entrants

There are states -- such as Texas, Mississippi and Georgia -- that repeatedly dominate the annual Miss America contest. Pennsylvania is not one of them. The Miss Philadelphia pageant, a preliminary contest to the Miss Pennsylvania and Miss America pageants, did not even manage to attract its maximum number of fifteen participants last year -- not exactly offering stiff competition for the national level. The 14 women who expressed interest in the pageant were all given the chance to participate and all ultimately received monetary rewards for their efforts. This year's pageant will be held at Drexel University's Mandell Theater on March 22. Auditions for the event will be held throughout February. In an area beset with universities, the lack of interest may result from the pageant's relatively small amount of publicity, suggested Kevin McAleese, executive director of the Miss Philadelphia contest. "[It's interesting to note that] the Miss America Foundation is the number one resource for college scholarships," claimed McAleese, who holds his volunteer position for the second year. None of the contestants in last year's contest were Penn students. McAleese added that CoreStates Bank, the primary sponsor of the Miss Philadelphia pageant, has contributed "in excess of $10,000" to this year's contest. Regina Drummond -- a second-year Villanova law student who won the pageant last year with only one previous competition under her belt -- has collected about $7,000 in scholarships as a result of her victory and made numerous contacts around Philadelphia. At a school where students are accustomed to making contacts in internships and recruitment forums, beauty pageants are not a typical source of funds or connections. But McAleese explained that this is why contestants have little to lose by entering Miss Philadelphia. "The whole point is to reward the participants," he said. "There is no exchange of money between the participants and the contest -- no registration fee." The one expense prospective contestants do face is in preparing for the contest. And College freshman Kendrick Li said people might have negative perceptions of beauty pageants. "I think it's the stereotype of a pageant contestant that's bad," Li suggested. "People don't want to be associated with that." True to tradition, the Miss Philadelphia pageant includes both a swimsuit and an evening gown competition, which collectively account for 30 percent of a contestant's score. McAleese noted that the time commitment is fairly minimal. After registering over the phone, all contestants must audition and attend an orientation session before the contest. The only time requirements beyond that lie in preparing a two-minute speech outlining a "platform" and some sort of talent exhibition. The "platform," which McAleese describes as "something to speak to the community about in [a] year as Miss Philly," accounts for 30 percent of the score. Platform topics have ranged from "funding for the arts" to "teen violence." "Talents" -- which account for the greatest percentage of each score -- require the contestant to perform in some way, most often in a monologue, song or dance. The winner receives a $3,000 scholarship -- the highest pageant stipend in the state -- and the first runner-up receives a $1,000 scholarship. In the past, Miss Philadelphia winners have received even more money through speeches and publicity events. With such high incentives, McAleese hopes more local university students will get involved, especially since this year's competition will be held in University City. "[The pageant is] an incredible venue to help women build confidence," McAleese said. Interested candidates must be residents of Pennsylvania or be attending a Pennsylvania college and should call 232-3222 by February 1.

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