On Nov. 18 at 7 p.m., the Miss UTM pageant will be held in the Harriet Fulton Theatre of Fine Arts Building.

This pageant is a combined pageant with the Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival Pageant. All of the women entered that are UTM students have the opportunity to win both titles, and those that are not students can only win the Soybean Festival title. The theme for this year’s pageant is “A Touch of Class.”

Valli Kugler Kelly, 2002 Miss Tennessee and two-time Miss UTM, Leah Beth Bolton, Tennessee’s Outstanding Teen, and Betsy Appleton, Miss Teen Tennessee Princess, will serve as mistresses of ceremonies.

Crowning their successors will be 2006 Miss UTM Jennifer Roberts, and 2006 Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival Holly Buchanan.

Contestants for this years pageant include: Torie Todd, Meghan Aileen Johnson, Tara Martchek, Rachel Zamata, Katie Lynne Argo, Brittany Lynn Broach, Carrie Booker, Rachel Moore, Glenda Darlene Mash, Lisa Marie Sullivan, Selena Ellen DeSantis, Kara Waddell, and Jeri Nicole Anthony.

Each of these contestants will compete in several categories, including presence and poise in evening wear, lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit, presentation and community achievement, talent, and an onstage interview. They will be judged by seven judges that include: Laura Lessenberry, William Mann, Scotty Harris, Laura Berryman, Nancy Williams, DeDe Johnson, and Angela Blair.

The winner of each crown will receive a $1,500 scholarship, a $200 gift certificate to Joann’s Fashions of Union City, an official crown, an official Miss America crown pin and flowers. The first runner-up will receive a $500 scholarship and flowers. The second runner-up will receive a $200 scholarship and flowers. A $50 scholarship and flowers will go to Miss Congeniality, a non-finalist talent winner, and a non-finalist swimsuit winner. The winners of each crown will gain the opportunity to compete in the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant in Jackson next summer.

“It gives me so much pleasure to work with this pageant as the executive director,” said Lynn Gibson, of the Miss UTM/Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival Pageant. “I know that we will crown two lovely women who will represent our university and our city so well. It is exciting to know that the scholarship money won will help in their pursuit of an education and aid them to be the best that they can be.”

General admission tickets for the Miss UTM/Miss Tennessee Soybean Pageant are $10. UTM students may purchase $5 tickets in advance. General admission and advanced tickets can be purchased at the UC information desk. Tickets also may be purchased at the door.