Mayor Small: Bring Back The Miss Atlantic City, New Jersey Pageant

The Miss Atlantic City Pageant has a long, rich tradition and it used to be a very big deal.

Note the elaborate front page, top-of-the-fold print coverage from 1954, courtesy of Kenneth McIntyre, from the I Grew Up Or Lived in Atlantic City, NJ Facebook Page (see below).

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small is a very bad Mayor, however, he’s pretty good at throwing parties and special events.

I remember posing for a photo with my Family, along with the late, great former Atlantic City Mayor James Usry and Miss Atlantic City 1988 Wendy Levy (see below).

Levy was an elegant Miss Atlantic City. Levy served with honor and distinction in this once important role.

Bringing back the Miss Atlantic City Pageant would be great idea for a variety of reasons.

It would be a very nice annual, live event.

The winner provides Atlantic City with a wonderful representative, who can help promote Atlantic City.

In 1949, it was called The Miss Atlantic City Contest and it was part of the Miss America Pageant. It was held on June 25, 1949 at The Traymore Hotel from 5:00 p.m. until 12:00 midnight.

Yes, it was a popular, 7-hour pageant marathon and the attendees just loved it.

There is a very close-knit “Pageant Community.” They are typically very supportive of all area pageants … the various Miss America qualifying pageants, Ms. Senior America, etc.

Some believe that pageants are yesterday’s news and that they should no longer exist.

I profoundly disagree with this. I enjoy them very much and the platform that they afford women to perform, present their platforms and compete in an organized, structured setting is an excellent format.

The iconic Super Star Theater at Resorts Casino Hotel Atlantic City has been a great home to pageants like the Ms. Senior America Pageant.

I urge Mayor Small to explore bringing back the Miss Atlantic City Pageant.

Perhaps even consider expanding it to become The Miss Greater Atlantic City Pageant, to draw talent from all over the region.

It used to be a major, front page news annual event.

If it is brought back … It can be a Back to the Future, big time event all over, again.