By T.W. ALLEN
PDT Staff Writer

The Miss Ohio USA and Miss Teen Ohio USA pageants will again be held at the Vern Riffe Center For the Arts (VRCFA) on Friday and Saturday nights.

This will mark the seventh year the pageants have been hosted by Portsmouth.

"I think this is one of the outstanding events that Scioto County is able to host every year, considering the other larger cities and communities that vie for it (the pageants) every year that would love to have it. The pageant officials are happy here. They love to come to Portsmouth, they love the Vern Riffe Center, they love the acoustics, they love the staging -- it's a great venue," Kim Bauer Director of the Portsmouth-Scioto County Visitors Bureau said.

"While in the area many of the contestants and their families visit local shops and places to eat among other various attractions putting money into the local economy."

"The Portsmouth-Scioto County area gets a lot of advertising from the contestants. When the ladies leave here, wherever they go, they mention the host city. In a sense they become ambassadors for the community," Bauer said.

Bauer said in her travels to various events and trade shows, she has information about the pageants on display and people will mention they had a friend or relative who competed in the event.

The contestants will arrive in town on Thursday, with the pageant beginning on Friday with interviews and a preliminary for both the Miss Ohio USA and Miss Ohio Teen USA contestants starting at 8 p.m.

"This year we are doing this a little different. The Friday preliminary show will start at 8 p.m. in which people will get to see the Miss and the Teen contestants introduced," Bauer said.

In prior pageants the Teen contestants would be introduced at one point and the Miss at another.

"This time you are getting to see the presentation show for the Miss and the Teen on Friday. On Saturday the Teen final show will be at 2 p.m. The Miss final show will be at 8 p.m.," Bauer noted.

It's hoped that with the new format, it will give contestants more time to prepare.

There are no local women competing in the Miss Ohio USA pageant this year. There are three local contestants vying for the title of Miss Ohio Teen USA.

Teen contestants include Emilee Lowe Miss Portsmouth Teen USA, Ali Thompson, (current Miss River Days) Miss River Days Teen USA and Holli Mauk, Miss Scioto County Teen USA.

Tickets are available at the McKinley Box Office by calling 351-3600