Salem back in Miss Utah contest

SALEM, Utah County — Miss Salem Celsey Long will compete for Miss Utah next year and possibly Miss America after all.

After an emotional plea from residents and a member of the executive board of the Miss Utah Pageant, the Salem City Council on Wednesday reinstated the local contest into the Miss America organization. Only Councilwoman Lynn Durrant voted against it.

The council dropped the Miss Salem Pageant from the state and national competition in May over financial issues and instead beefed up scholarships for local winners.

The city budgets $3,500 annually for the Miss Salem Pageant, but the council didn't want to spend an additional $1,700 on the Miss Utah contest. Residents criticized the council for spending $500 on the county-based Junior Miss Pageant, while not supporting local admission into the Miss Utah contest.

Then-Miss Salem director Allison Churtz apologized for not backing the contest beyond the local pageant, admitting, "I'm not a pageant girl."

Churtz said she disliked young women parading across the stage in bathing suits.

"I believe in the girls. I don't believe in pageants or swimsuit competitions," she said.

The new director of the Salem pageant, Suzanna Higginson, said if local girls can't compete in the Miss Utah contest, which leads to Miss America, then the Miss Salem contest would die. Only five girls competed in this year's pageant.

— Rodger L. Hardy