Thirty-two contestants from across the state will be vying for the title of Miss Kentucky 2008. Among them will be Princeton resident Laura Elizabeth Smith.
Smith, Miss Jeffersontown, is 22 years old and the daughter of Larry and Diane Smith of Princeton. She is majoring in secondary English education at Murray State University and her ambition is to become a high school English teacher and earn a Master’s degree in guidance and counseling.
Smith’s platform issue deals with raising awareness and support for autism and her talent presentation will be a vocal performance of Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.”
Smith won a $1,000 scholarship along with the Miss Jeffersontown title at the local pageant held in Louisville this past March.
The 2008 Miss Kentucky Pageant will be held at the Singletary Center for the Arts on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington. Preliminary competitions will be held Thursday, July 17, and Friday, July 18, starting at 7 p.m.
The final night of competition culminating with the crowning of the new Miss Kentucky is Saturday, July 19, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for the preliminaries and final competition are available by calling the Singletary Center Box Office at 859-257-4929. Preliminary night tickets are $25 per night and tickets for the final night are $40.
Over $36,000 in cash scholarships will be awarded to contestants in addition to numerous prizes and in-kind scholarships to various colleges and universities. The new Miss Kentucky will advance to the Miss America Pageant which will be held in January at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas and broadcast live on The Learning Channel (TLC) at 8 p.m. (EST) Jan. 24.
Also, the winner will speak in schools across the state promoting the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s “No Ifs, Ands or Butts Program,” educating students of all grade levels on the penalties involved with purchasing tobacco products while underage.
More information about the Miss Kentucky Scholarship Organization can be obtained by visiting the pageant’s website at www.misskyscholorg.com.
