Miss San Diego Pageant to Take Place in Poway

For the first time, the Miss San Diego and Miss San Diego’s Outstanding Teen Competition will take place in Poway. The competition will be held at the this Saturday.

Executive Director Kati Enea said organizers liked the “beautiful theater.”

“We like the community atmosphere,” she said. “It is easily accessible for a lot of our contestants and our judges. Poway and Rancho Bernardo have been really hospitable. …We have gotten a lot of community support.”

There are 11 Miss San Diego contestants and seven Miss San Diego’s Outstanding Teen contestants competing for titles, crowns and scholarships.

The Miss San Diego Pageant and Scholarship Association was established in 1918, and the teen competition was added in 1998. This year, two new titles will be added to the program: Miss County of San Diego and Miss Southern California Regional.

Enea said organizers wanted to award more scholarships. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations provided more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance. There are 18 contestants competing for the new titles.

The competition is a great opportunity for contestants, Enea said. In 2001, she was named Miss High Desert and she competed in Miss California.

“It taught me the idea of paying it forward,” she said. “There are so many volunteers that participate. Everyone that works for Miss California and the Miss America organization at the local and state level are volunteers. So, it taught me that it’s really important to give back to your community and help shape the future.

“I have two little girls and I want them to have positive role models,” she said. “By being involved in this, I’m not only teaching youth-aged girls, but I’m also teaching my daughters about good values.”

Contestants compete in the areas of private interview, lifestyle and fitness, onstage question and evening gown. There is also a talent portion, which is 35 percent of each contestant’s overall score, Enea said.

“They’re just very well-rounded girls,” she said. “We look for a girl that’s not just beautiful and intelligent, but talented also.”

Tickets cost $25 for the event, which begins at 6 p.m. Proceeds will go toward the production, preparation for Miss California and the scholarship fund.

On Sunday at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts, there will be an art reception for the new art exhibit.

The Poway Woman’s Club art exhibit opened on March 3 and will run through March 26. Visitors can view the art in the center’s lobby Tuesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The center is located at15498 Espola Road.

Also on Sunday, , Poway’s Community Theatre, will present a staged reading of the romantic comedy Southern Comforts.

Kathleen Clark’s play is about a widow and widower who meet and find a way into each other's hearts. The show, which is directed by Kate Hewitt, will be presented one night only at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10. For reservations, call the PowPAC box office at (858) 679-8085. You can also order your tickets online by e-mailing boxoffice@powpac.org. 

The theater is located upstairs in the Lively Center at 13250 Poway Road.

In other news, the Poway Folk Circle recently launched its Poway Folk Radio Internet station.

The station, which was launched last Thursday, will primarily play folk, country, blues, bluegrass and international music. 

In addition to music, the station will broadcast local events and prerecorded shows. 

“The primary mission of the station is to build and encourage local music appreciation and provide an Internet radio-based venue for self-expression within the community,” said Jeff Bertino, the coordinator of the group.