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Tennessee's Miss America contestant will be crowned in Knoxville this year

The pageant is set for June 2019.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee will hold two statewide pageants this year--one in Jackson and one in Knoxville. 

The pageant has taken place in Jackson for more than 60 years. 

But new leadership says only the winning contestant from Knoxville will go to Miss America. 

The three nights of preliminary competitions will take place at Thompson-Boling Arena from June 26-28, followed by the Miss Tennessee Finals on Saturday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m. 

Tickets for “The 2019 Miss Tennessee Competition” go on sale in March and can be purchased at www.misstennessee.org.

The competition's foundation board chair EddieSmith said the plan is to rotate locations around Tennessee, so it's likely it won't be in Knoxville again next year. 

“Miss Tennessee does not belong to a city, it belongs to the state. The Miss Tennessee Scholarship Competition Board is committed to sharing our rich traditions and the talent of the incredible young women involved in our organization with everyone," Smith said. "That’s why we have pledged to take the Miss Tennessee Competition into each grand division on a rotating basis.  From this point forward, Miss Tennessee is for ALL of Tennessee!"

Chloe Hubbard is originally from Dandridge and holds the Miss Gallatin title. She's excited to see Miss Tennessee come to her home, and she's excited about the new leadership. 

"They've got some really good ideas and really great things in the work and I can't wait to see what's going to come out of it," Hubbard said. 

However, the mayor of Jackson confirmed to 10News there will still be a pageant in Jackson this year. It will still offer scholarship money and still crown a Miss Tennessee. It is officially called the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant. 

The mayor said the event brings in close to 2,000 people to Jackson each day. 

"It is a big, huge deal each year in Jackson," said longtime Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant volunteer Craig Hurst. 

Hurst believes the split stems from controversy over Miss America leadership.

The Associated Press reports Tennessee is one of four states suing the organization after its pageant license was terminated. 

The lawsuit also asks the judge to restore traditional pageant staples like the swimsuit competition, which Chairwoman Gretchen Carlson got rid of last year. 

10News reached out to Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant leaders but did not hear back.

Hurst said the Jackson winner will retain the Governor's ambassador role and travel around the state throughout the year. 

Hurst said typically about 36 women compete for the Miss Tennessee title, and scholarships can be up to $25,000. 

"That's where the girls are going to have to make a decision," Hurst said. "Do they want to compete so they can have a ticket to go to Miss America? Or do they want to compete so they can have the chance to travel around the state and make a difference in children's lives every day of the year for the next year?" 

 

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