By By JOHN EBY / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Even the five Miss Michigan pageant judges had Paris Hilton on their minds.
The overexposed heiress came up in Miss Cass-St. Joseph County Linaya Hass' Wednesday morning, June 13, Muskeon interview, for which she won $500, giving her a total pageant week take of $1,100 for marine science study at the University of South Carolina.
Linaya, 20, of Cassopolis, said judges asked her if Hilton should be incarcerated.
Yes, "definitely," the former Miss Cassopolis said Friday in an interview at The Flower Cart.
Linaya, who was also quizzed about her platform issue, ocean literacy, said before she left June 9 that she just wanted to have fun.
"It was a lot of fun," she said. "My favorite part was miniature golfing with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. We each had a little sister or little brother for a few hours," said the middle of Dean and Glenda Hass's three daughters. "We spent the whole day at Craig's Cruisers" in Wyoming.
"They have go carts" and a climbing wall, "but we just did the miniature golf, then we had a pizza party."
Craig's Cruisers was Dowagiac's Celebration Graduation destination June 3-4.
Winning the interview segment excited Linaya because "a lot of the girls have a lot of professional coaching. I just went in and was completely myself, so it meant a lot to me. They asked me a lot about my platform, a lot about politics with the presidential election.
"We got there on Saturday," she said, "and we didn't see the judges at all until the interview on Wednesday morning. Up until Wednesday we had rehearsals and luncheons and things like that, but then the interview was pretty much the start of the pageant, with the preliminary that night. Interviews took place in the hotel" before three women and two men.
"I went in not really knowing anyone," Linaya said. "A lot of the girls knew each other from previous pageants. Toward the end of the week, everyone started loosening up and we had a lot of fun. I made a lot of friends, my roommate especially."
She roomed with Miss Lake Huron Shores. "She's from Port Huron, but she goes to school at Michigan State. She and my sister actually have a mutual friend because my younger sister goes (to MSU)."
The new Miss Michigan, Kirsten Haglund, was Miss Oakland County and the granddaughter of Miss Michigan 1944 Iora Hunt.
"We all got close because we spent so much time together 24/7," Linaya said. "We didn't get much sleep. The only time we could shut our doors in our hotel rooms was when we were sleeping. They were always propped open so we could mingle and get to know each other. Rehearsals were long, so we tried to make them as fun as possible just talking and laughing. Miss Oakland is a really sweet girl, so I'm glad she won."
Since leaving network television from Atlantic City, N.J., for Las Vegas and cable (CMT), Miss America is now crowned in winter. No definite date or site for when Haglund, 18, of Farmington Hills, will be competing.
Other than finding a job and getting her animals ready for the Cass County Fair next month, Linaya said she's been "sleeping a lot and eating a lot. It's been nice to relax for a week, but now I don't know what to do with myself."
Linaya will also be helping The Flower Cart's owner, pageant chair Philip Hurlbutt, recruit contestants not only to be her successor, but also for the new Miss Teen for younger girls ages 13-16.
"We have four girls and we need at least six" for the first half of a pageant doubleheader Aug. 11 at Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center.
There are six young women seeking Linaya's title and the chance to compete in the June 2008 preliminary to Miss America.
Hurlbutt hopes to entice a few more into the field by the end of June.