LANCASTER – Fourteen extraordinary young women, each wearing a crown representing her respective community, will soon vie for the title of Miss Antelope Valley 2014.
The 70th annual pageant will be held at 4 p.m., Saturday, August 2, at the H.W. Hunter pavilion at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, located at 2551 West Avenue H in Lancaster. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. For pageant information and tickets, call 661-948-6060 extension “0” or 661-917-5250.
Current Miss Antelope Valley, Jasmine Alniami, Miss City of Palmdale, will pass on the crown to the new Queen, who will reign over the 76th Annual Antelope Valley Fair & Alfalfa Festival from August 15 – 24, 2014. The pageant is a highly anticipated event, culminating in the coronation of a single Queen to represent the entire Antelope Valley, according to pageant officials.
The 2014 contestants are (alphabetical by community):
- Miss Acton: Brooke Lohman,
- Miss Antelope Acres: Jayme Fairlee,
- Miss Boron: Jaycee Jackson,
- Miss California City: Emily Booth,
- Miss Eastside: Casaundra King,
- Miss Hughes Elizabeth Lakes: Brooklyn Alcott,
- Miss Lake Los Angeles: Meladie Saunders,
- Miss Lancaster: Halley Arntz,
- Miss Leona Valley: Rachel Bartfai,
- Miss Mojave: Merysa Rangel,
- Miss Palmdale: Felicia Flores,
- Miss Quartz Hill: Mikayla Yarman,
- Miss Rancho Vista: Taylor Herider, and
- Miss Rosamond: Brittany Ebeltoft,
Miss Tehachapi,Tiffany Rea, withdrew from the pageant.
Miss Antelope Valley and the community queens reign over the fair festivities as well as serve as ambassadors in many events throughout the Valley, including Chamber events, Children’s Charities fundraisers, luncheons and special functions, lending their talent and generating community good will.
Although young women had been awarded the crown since 1912, the Antelope Valley Fair did not begin sponsoring the contest until 1945. In the early years, the queen was determined by which contestant sold the most tickets and raised the most money for charitable projects.
Over the years, scholarships have become a welcome and much needed addition to the Miss Antelope Valley experience. With the Queens scholarship program, each of the girls has the opportunity to earn a percentage of what they raise. The top four girls who bring in the most money from scholarship and fundraising also receive an additional percentage of the total scholarship raised that year. Miss Antelope Valley will get at least 60 % of the total scholarship raised.
Since the scholarship program began in 2000, the Community Queens have raised more than $200,000 dollars for educational scholarships. Six of the past Miss Antelope Valley Queens have used their scholarship to earn their college degrees.
Since 1948, the Tournament of Roses Queen Committee has participated in the selection the Miss Antelope Valley.
(Information via press release from Antelope Valley Fairgrounds.)
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dumbandblind says
Why no African American contestants?
William says
You mean someone like a Charlize Theron?
bird says
William—Charlize Theron is Afrikaan and speaks Afrikaan. She is of European descent.
William says
Isn’t she from South Africa which is in Africa, I believe?
CB says
I would imagine none entered. You can’t win in unless you’re in it.
Truth says
…because they think they’re “special” and have to have their own segregated pageant.
AV says
FYI the current Jr. Miss Antelope Valley is African American
Anna says
Good luck to all these young women, but where is Miss Littlerock??? Are we to believe that they couldn’t get even 1 girl to compete? Every street corner in this valley seems to be represented so where is Littlerock????
:-) says
Little Rock is represented by miss lake Los angels
Anna says
Huh?? Littlerock has always had their own queen, never did Lake LA represent the town. Perhaps no one saw fit to run a contest for them. Also, where is Miss Sun Village? Oh well, doesn’t matter. These girls have a big night a head of them and hope the best one wins….