BusinessTN

A month from now, at the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant in Jackson, the state will crown its 76th Miss Tennessee. Newspapers and television stations from Bristol to Memphis will tell the story of the lucky girl who will win thousands of dollars in college scholarship money, serve as the spokesperson for the governor and the Tennessee Department of Education's Safe and Drug Free Tennessee program, and represent the Volunteer State in the Miss America Pageant.

But behind the glitz, glamour and the dream come true, is a nearly 56-year-old Jackson event that pays dividends for the West Tennessee city, not only in dollars and cents, but also in exposure.

"It's extremely important in the city of Jackson that we've been the home of the Miss Tennessee Pageant almost since its inception both [in terms of] national image and from an economic development standpoint," says Jackson mayor Jerry Gist.

Originally held in Memphis, the pageant moved to Jackson in 1953, and the Miss America Pageant has awarded the city of Jackson the franchise granting the right to conduct the state finals every year since. Thirty-six contestants from 21 local Tennessee preliminary pageants (some pageants crown two or three girls) descend on Jackson the Sunday before the four-day competition, which this year begins on June 17 and concludes on June 20 with the announcement of the top 15 finalists and the winner. In the past, musical guests such as Carl Perkins and Dolly Parton have taken the stage, and this year, the show will feature Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts and singer/songwriter James Otto.

Until about five years ago, the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant was televised across the state, but when that got too
expensive, it became the first pageant to
Webcast worldwide, says Jimmy Exum, president and producer of the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant. The pageant, Exum says, attracts about 7,500 people to Jackson from all over the state. He estimates that, of the 7,500, about 1,500 are local.

"The hotels are always full because the majority of the people are from out of town," Exum says. "From a tourism standpoint, we have two events, the NAIA tournament and this one, that bring in large numbers of people who stay in hotels and eat in restaurants and shop."

In fact, when bidding for the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament about 20 years ago (which brings about 40,000 people to Jackson), the city cited the pageant as an example of the type of events that it had experience hosting. Today, in addition to bringing in revenue, Gist says both events serve as marketing tools for the city.

"One national or one statewide event held in Jackson feeds off the other because it sends a message to organizational leaders that the city of Jackson is fully capable of conducting events on both a statewide scope and a national scope," Gist says. "Both the pageant and the NAIA are dependent on a lot of local volunteer help, and it simply lends credibility that if we can successfully organize and conclude one event, we should be able to do so with another."

Though Exum says people in Memphis and Nashville have expressed interest in hosting the pageant, he says it would be a "pretty good little order for somebody to put that together." The Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant Inc., the nonprofit responsible for the pageant, raises up to $250,000 each year. That money funds the show (tickets start at $20 a night and cover less than 30% of the show's cost), about $73,000 in scholarships and other expenses associated with supporting the reigning Miss Tennessee. While typical sponsors include such corporate heavyweights as AT&T, West Tennessee Healthcare and the Jackson Energy Authority, all it takes to become one is a donation of $300 or more.

"Having to raise $250,000 each year on a volunteer basis is not a fun thing to do, so there aren't going to be a whole lot of people who are going to take that on," Exum says.

Besides, points out state pageant director Jane Alderson, as a city of 60,000 people, Jackson is well-suited for an event of this size.

"The smaller the community, the more interest people have in it because it's one of the big things that happen here," Alderson says.

And, Gist says, the city is certainly happy to have it.

"The girls make public appearances and visit many of our organizations while they're here," he says. "So, there is a lot of good will established, and the fact that we're the host of these events tends to increase the pride of our own local residents."

For Jackson, that's just as important as revenue and exposure.