Pageant winner to relinquish crown?
By STACIE MORGAN
Sentinel reporter
7/1/03
BURNHAM - The Miss Pennsylvania Pageant will go on, despite the fact
that Miss Greater Juniata Valley Alison Kemerer Irwin will not be
participating.
Irwin, who comes from Meadville and won the title in the scholarship
pageant in February in Lewistown, will not be a member of the pageant
court, explained John Metzger, executive director of the Miss Central
Pennsylvania Pageant.
The details are still sketchy.
Additional information will not be released until Thursday. Metzger
indicated that some type of television show may be in the works for
Irwin, whose responsibilities with the pageant would interfere with a TV
contract.
The announcement was made just seven days prior to the pageant
departure date of Sunday.
"We're not sure who's next in line," said Metzger. "The first two
runnersup have won other pageant titles so will be at the Miss
Pennsylvania Pageant anyway."
It may be that having enough time to prepare for a statewide pageant
is not realistically feasible, as Linsey Leska, Miss Central
Pennsylvania, the second title won at the February pageant, will be
leaving for statewide competition on Sunday.
"I'm just waiting for direction from pageant lawyers," said
Metzger.
Leska, a resident of Belle Vernon, was present at a news conference
Monday evening at the Burnham Lions Club Community Building, where the
information about Irwin was released.
"Whoever may be picked to take Alison's place," said Leska, "will be
just as qualified as Alison was. But I'm not sure there'd be enough time
for them to get ready."
If a next-in-line was chosen, the contestant would be picked based on
her final scores tallied at the Miss Central Pennsylvania Pageant.
It was touch and go for a while for Leska herself, who was recently
released from the hospital due to an extended illness related to what
Leska said was "stress induced." Even so, Leska was cheerful and
smiling, and appeared rested and suntanned with no apparent after
effects.
The Miss Pennsylvania Pageant will begin its first preliminary
competition on Thursday, July 10, and continue through Saturday, July
12, in Nazareth.