Public Can Help Pick Montana's Choice At Miss Montana Scholarship Pageant

Glendive –Dare to make a Difference is the exciting theme for this year's Miss Montana and Miss Montana's Outstanding Teen Scholarship Program. Twenty-four amazing young women arrive in Glendive on June 16 to start a whirlwind week of excitement, adventure, community service, and the chance to win the state title. Each contestant besides being talented has a platform to make a difference from skin cancer awareness, the need for foster homes, to suicide prevention and empowering youth.

The Miss Montana Program, now in its 70th year and held in Glendive the last 15 years, will run from June 20 through 22 at the DCHS auditorium. Thursday is the preliminary competition for the teen and miss contestants. Friday, June 21 will be the crowning of the new Miss Montana's Outstanding Teen plus more talent, evening gown and on stage questions for the Miss Montana contestants. Saturday, June 22 culminates with the crowning of the new Miss Montana 2019.  

Contestants have decorated their shoes to represent their hometown or platform for the "Show Us Your Shoes" Parade Friday at 1p.m. followed by an ice cream social in Our Park sponsored by the Glendive Chamber. Any organization wanting to be in the parade can contact the chamber at 377-5601.

Friday night after the show, the Gala sponsored by Cape Air offers refreshments and dance to celebrate the coronation of Miss Montana's Outstanding Teen.

Saturday Miss Montana Laura Haller will host the Royal Tea at the Eastern Plains Event Center where Miss Montana contestants will model fashions from the VINT, sponsor of the Royal Tea.

The public can help determine who gets to be Montana's Choice and advance to the semifinals. By voting for your favorite miss and teen contestant with one dollar a vote at http://www.missmontana.com, the contestant raising the most "votes" on line and at the preliminaries ending on Friday, June 21 wins the Montana's Choice scholarship and a spot in the semifinals.

Miss Montana contestants are Kinsey Ross,18, Bainville; Alexa Baisch, 19, Glendive; Kristy Cullinan, 20, Glendive; Samantha French, 24, Havre; Haylee Storlie, 22, Glendive; Kourtney Hanson, 18, Chinook; Kaylee Kent, 18, Butte; Jessica Criss, 22, Bozeman; Reegan Mosley, 18, Miles City; Mo Shea, 22, Helena; and Emily Kuehn 19, of Glendive.

Outstanding Teen contestants, age 14-17, are Jessica Romo-Sidney, Taitlyn Berry-Glendive, Jessa Steele-Manhattan, Violet Anderson-Polson, Grace Peoples –Wibaux; Tymber Jensen-Absarokee, Liliana Johnson-Sidney, Karen Murphy-Glendive, Eden Paressini-Billings, Marrin Kolczak-Hardy-Missoula, Sloan Orrell-Belgrade, Alissa Bohle of Plevna and Simonne Clay of Billings.

The winner of Miss Montana will compete in the Miss America pageant and in the coming year represent Montana at events across the state. The winner of the Miss Montana's Outstanding Teen will go on to compete at the national level in Orlando, Florida in late July. With 37,000 in cash scholarships and more in applied scholarships to specific colleges, these girls are excited and very serious about the importance of representing this amazing place we call home, Montana!

Tickets are available to purchase online at www.missmontana.com, Glendive Chamber, Farm to Table Store in the EPEC and at the door.