Miss Kentucky USA pageant to be held in Norton Center

By Leigh Ivey

DANVILLE, KY—Centre College's campus won't be quiet this November during Thanksgiving weekend.

While students enjoy their days off, hundreds of people from across the state will be flocking to Danville on Nov. 28-29, 2009, for the 2010 Miss Kentucky USA and Miss Kentucky Teen USA pageants. The pageants will be held at Centre's Norton Center for the Arts, currently undergoing a major refurbishment.

“The College’s Norton Center for the Arts, completing this fall a splendid renovation of its public space, will be a spectacular venue for this year’s pageant," says John Roush, president of Centre College. "We are pleased that Danville has the opportunity to host this event, and we are delighted that the City and County have elected to present the pageant in Newlin Hall.”  

"It’s the first time for us to host the pageant," says Debra Hoskins, director of programs and public relations at the Norton Center. "And we're of course very proud that one of Danville’s own (Maria Montgomery) is the reigning Miss Kentucky USA. That will make it even more special."

Since its construction in 1973, the Norton Center has hosted numerous singers, Broadway musicals, ballet troupes and orchestras. Performers who have appeared in the center include Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Pat Green, Three Dog Night, and Vince Gill; Rent, Titanic, Hairspray, and My Fair Lady are among the musicals that have taken place on its stage. The Norton Center was also the location for the 2000 vice presidential debate between Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman.

The Miss Kentucky and Miss Kentucky Teen pageants will be the first pageants to take place in the center.

"In discussions with Connie Clark Harrison, the pageant executive director, she was informed of the renovation and how spectacular the Norton Center will look with the three million dollar renovation completed," Hoskins says. "And it's having been designed by Frank Lloyd Wright makes it even more special. If the Queen of Soul and legendary artists such as Tony Bennett and Dolly Parton loved being on the stage of the Norton Center, we know the future Miss Kentucky USA and other contestants will be just as pleased."

The Norton Center was one of the reasons Danville was chosen as the location for the competitions. The other was the town itself.

“Danville is a beautiful city and has so much to offer the pageant, the contestants and their families," Harrison told Danville's Advocate-Messenger. "Several other towns were very close in the race; however, Danville…really wanted to roll out the red carpet for the pageant. They have been 100 percent supportive, and we’re excited to partner with them."

This partnership will been a boon for Danville's economy. "We're definitely looking forward to having the hundreds of guests who will be in town for the event for two to three days," Hoskins says. "We anticipate all hotels to be full, restaurants very busy and local businesses making lots of sales since it’s the busiest shopping weekend before Christmas."  

Amenities for the pageants will be the same that are included for every large event held at the center; these include top-of-the-line technical support, dressing rooms, hospitality areas and valet parking.

To see the recently announced 2009-2010 Norton Center season, click here.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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