NPAC to host Miss Ohio prelim pageant

Niswonger PAC news

The Niswonger stage is being set for young women from across the region to compete for $60,000 in scholarship money. The Miss West Central Ohio Scholarship Pageant will be held Saturday, August 3, beginning at 7:30 p.m., and will have 19 girls competing, including seven Outstanding Teen contestants and 12 Miss West Central Ohio contestants (ages 17-24) from 10 counties in the NBC/Lima coverage area. The pageant will be taped for broadcast at 8 p.m. Saturday, August 17, on NBC/Lima Primetime and also on Fox/Lima at noon Saturday, August 24.

Three winners will be crowned, who then move on to the Miss Ohio/Miss America program in May 2014 in Mansfield.  Each winner receives a minimum scholarship of $500, while all Miss contestants receive a $100 college scholarship. A total of $50,000 in in-kind scholarships to Bluffton, Rhodes State, Ohio State-Lima, or Ohio Northern will also be presented.

There are seven area teens competing for Miss West Central’s Outstanding Teen program, which is for girls, ages 12-17 years old. Two finalists will move on to Miss Ohio’s Outstanding Teen Pageant in Mansfield in 2014.

All contestants will be judged on talent, intelligence and health and fitness, while a “Peoples Choice” Award will be awarded based on votes from the attending audience.

The Miss West Central Ohio 2013 Scholarship Pageant is hosted by Miss America 2009 Katie Stam, recently seen on NBC’s “The Apprentice”, and former Miss West Central Ohio and Miss Ohio 2012 Elissa McCracken. The event will be held at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Van Wert.

Teen contestants include Rosie Westerbeck of New Bremen, Victoria Knapke of Celina, Alexis Thorbahn of Ottoville, Kylie Hohman of Van Wert, Loren Diane Stukey of Rockford, Jenny Shellabarger of St. Marys, and Natalee Patrick of Lima.

Miss West Central Ohio Contestants include Kirsten Fennig of Celina, Nicole Baringer of Defiance, Samantha Hartings of Celina, Anna Wenning of Shelby, Whitney Holbein of Ada, Karissa Place of Van Wert, Alexis Richter of New Bremen, Tanya Korte of Lima, Brittany Holland of Ada, Angela Bouch of Ada, Ashley Heckman of Lima, and Veronica Wende of Lima.

Tickets for the event are available for $20 by contacting the Niswonger Box Office at 419.238.6722 weekdays from noon-4 p.m.