A 73rd Miss Dowagiac will be crowned Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at the middle school Performing Arts Center.
Nineteen young women, who socialized Monday night at Wolverine Mutual Insurance Co., are seeking the crown held by Miss Dowagiac 2011 Gabrielle Dorman.
Theme for the pageant co-directed by Ashley Franklin and Audrey Maxey is “Fun in the Sun,” with an opening production number to Katrina and the Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine” wearing “preppy summer chic.”
“It will feel fun and summery when it’s dreary, cold and snowy outside — the opposite of how we’ll be feeling,” Maxey said.
Tickets go on sale to the public from noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 5 at the depot.
Contestants will be attending the Eau Claire-Sodus pageant as a group on Dec. 11.
”Last year there were only 13 of us. We were a smaller group,” Gabrielle said.
“We were so close. Do this for fun. You’ll have so much fun and make the best of friends. People you don’t expect to be friends with, at the end of the pageant, on dress rehearsal night, they crown different people just to go through it and see what it would be like. I almost started crying I was so happy for these girls. Be friendly and make friends and it will be one of the best experiences you’ll ever do. You become like a little family. It’s so wonderful if you go into it with open arms. Even girls who didn’t win or weren’t on the court had a great time and didn’t want it to end. We were sad when it was over.”
Desserts for the get-acquainted “tea” were furnished by Kimberly Haneberg, mother of Miss Dowagiac 2010 Katie Haneberg.
Kim will be opening Utopia coffee shop and bakery downtown soon.