Fifteen years can sure make a difference for incoming director of the Miss Dowagiac Scholarship Pageant and new mother, Jessica Voldrich, who will be heading up a crew of more than 50 volunteers to produce the 78th annual pageant, which takes place Saturday, Jan. 21.

In 2002, the former Jessica Cuthbert proudly wore the Miss Dowagiac crown herself, before going on to be selected Miss Cass/St. Joe County in 2004.

Today, the new mother of newborn Jude has stepped back into the pageant circuit along with several former royalty to present the 2017 production, with the theme of “The Secret Garden”

Eleven young women will compete for the crown later this month.

Sponsored by the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce, 14 corporate advertisers and more than 70 contributing gift and scholarship donors are underwriting the 2017 pageant. The Business Center of Southwestern Michigan is also supporting the event, with in-kind float storage.

As a long-standing tradition, today’s pageant awards college scholarships to members of the court of honor and also affords Miss Dowagiac the opportunity to enter preliminary competitions to the Miss Michigan/America or Miss Michigan/USA pageants.

In 2000, the pageant executive committee introduced scholarships to the program for the first time. Since then, nearly $60,000 in educational scholarships have been presented to young women in the community.

Reigning Miss Dowagiac Anne Zebell, the daughter of Claudia and Steve Zebell, will crown the new queen from the following contestants: Katlyn Briney, Lea Cooper, Amanda DeLong, Emily Dodd, Katherine Hurrle, Harli Ivey, Haleigh Longcore, Vivianna Lucio, Madison Phelps, Emmaline Sovine and Sara Wright.

Tickets for the event, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Dowagiac Middle School, are $15 each and remain on sale at the Chamber of Commerce.

The public is also invited to attend the Queen’s Reception, which will be after the pageant at Round Oak Revisited.