Miss Kentucky pageant returns to Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – The Miss Kentucky pageant returns to Bowling Green for the fifth time, with contestants gathering for the scholarship competition.

Pageant director, Regina Webb, and several contestants previewed the event ahead of the competition.

The Miss Kentucky Scholarship Foundation has awarded more than $45 million in scholarships, ranking it among the largest scholarship providers for women in the world.

“I know I’ve heard one young lady who was a former Miss America, and she said that she won $80,000 over her time being in preliminaries in her state pageant and then won Miss America,” Webb said.

Contestants share personal growth

Contestant, Bella Franklin, said three years ago, she never would have imagined being part of the Miss Kentucky organization.

“I was a shy little girl. I didn’t even have a community service initiative. And being involved in it now, just saying yes to that one opportunity to compete in a prelim changed my life for the better. Now I’m so much more confident in myself. I’m able to talk to people and just overall the experiences that I had are truly amazing,” Franklin said.

Bowling Green resident and contestant, Madison Taylor, said she is proud to show off her hometown to contestants from across the state.

“I think Bowling Green is the perfect location for this pageant because it has everything that you could possibly need. And I’m excited for all of my friends across the Commonwealth to come and experience all the things that I love about my hometown of Bowling Green,” Taylor said.

Webb said, pageants are often misunderstood, and she wants audiences to see the women as more than their appearance.

Franklin and Taylor said, contestants are defined by far more than a crown and a sash.

“Obviously sometimes it’s hard to hear what they think, but truly just showing them that pageant girls are so much more than just the crown on the sash. We’re educated. We know how to use our voices,” Franklin said.

“These girls are smart and they have service initiatives where they’re going out into the community and making a difference. It’s really about sharing your message and making a difference in our community and our state overall,” Taylor said.

The Miss Kentucky pageant runs June 10-13 at SKyPAC in Bowling Green. The pageant can be streamed on Pageant Vision.