Miss Volunteer America returning to Jackson

JACKSON, Tenn. — In a little over a week, 51 contestants will walk the runways to claim the title of Miss Volunteer America.

The Founder of Miss Volunteer America Pageant, Allison Alderson Demarcus, said that the Miss Volunteer America Pageant is the single largest event that comes to Jackson.

The pageant will have its opening night on June 21. The first three days are preliminary rounds, with all contests participating.

“The girls are in three groups of 17. So the first night, 17, the first group will do their fitness, wellness, and swimsuit. The other group will do evening gown. The third group will do talent. And then they’ll rotate Thursday, rotate Friday,” Demarcus said.

On Saturday, the final day, they have a big show where they call out the top 16. During the last day, the judges will pick a winner.

“And then we go down to 12. Those 12 do talent, then we pull to 10, those 10 do evening gown, pull to five, they do a top five question, and then the crowning!” Demarcus said.

Demarcus said that the pageant is not only a way for the contestants to learn how to serve their community and develop life skills that are applicable to careers, but also they can earn a scholarship.

“Just the two years that we have been doing this national program, we’ll have given out over a million and a half dollars in scholarships collectively in combining each of our state programs and the national programs from both years,” Demarcus said.

The contestants will fly in before the pageant on June 17 and will be available for a meet-and-greet on June 18 at the Ned in Jackson.

This event is open to the public at 2 p.m.

You can also meet them at Hub City Brewery on June 18.

Find more local news here.