Wayne Allen | Daily Times

Audrey Bolte, competing as Miss Batavia, was crowned Miss Ohio USA 2012. She is being crowned by Miss Ohio USA 2011 Ashley Caldwell and Miss Ohio Teen USA 2011 Morgan Smigel.

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WAYNE ALLEN

PDT Staff Writer

The 2013 Miss Ohio USA and Miss Ohio Teen USA pageants will be returning to the Vern Riffe Center For the Arts in Portsmouth Nov. 9-10 for the 12th consecutive year.

“This is good news for the area that the pageants are coming back,”said Kim Bauer, local pageant director. “A lot of people don’t realize, this is not just a beauty pageant, there is a $45,000 scholarship to Lindenwood University that goes to the top 15.”

Bauer said all of the contestants will attend an orientation in October in Portsmouth that will serve as an introduction to the pageant.

“The orientation is an opportunity for them (contestants and families) to submit their paperwork and make sure everything is in order before the pageant,” Bauer said. “As a part of the orientation, the contestants will have their photos taken for the program. At that time pageant director Melissa Pitchford and I will address the contestants.”

She said the orientation and the pageant brings some economic development to the area.

“The crew will come in on Wednesday and stay until Sunday, a lot of the parents come in on Wednesday or Thursday to get a feel for the area,” Bauer said.

According to Bauer most visitors during their stay will eat and shop locally. She said it’s difficult to find a hotel room in the area the weekend of the pageants.

“I’ve had some friends who have had things going on that weekend in Portsmouth and the closest room they could get was in Piketon or Ashland,” Bauer said.

She said it can be expensive to have to pageants in Portsmouth.

“People do not realize how much the contestants and staff of the pageant eat. They are eating pasta, grilled chicken, salad and I like to have miniature candy bars for them to snack on, I can’t imagine how many bottles of water they go through in a weekend,” Bauer said. “If someone would donate $25, that would pay for one third of the amount of miniature candy bars needed.”

Audrey Bolte, Miss Batavia is Miss Ohio USA 2012 and Kendall Fein, Miss Southern Ohio is Miss Ohio Teen USA 2012.

Bolte was the second runner-up to Miss USA 2012 and Fein was fourth runner-up to Miss Teen USA 2012.

Wayne Allen may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 208, or wallen@heartlandpublications.com.