Miss America 2008 to co-host 71-year-old competition June 18 at Staten Island showplace

NEW YORK — The Miss New York Pageant is about to take place for the first time ever in New York City.

The 2011 statewide event, just one step away from the Miss America Pageant, will be hosted on June 18 by Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008, and Leigh-Taylor Smith, Miss New York 2008, in Staten Island’s historic St. George Theatre.

Claire Buffie, Miss New York 2010

The pageant had been a fixture in the upstate towns of Olean and Watertown, prior to running in Long Island and Albany. The St. George Theatre has been chosen by pageant operators as the new, permanent venue of the annual event.

“Staten Island has a solid history of commitment to community service,” said Claire Buffie, Miss New York 2010. “… Service is what the Miss New York and Miss America pageants are about.”

Competing for the 2011 Miss New York crown are 22 contestants, including representatives of upstate counties.

 The Miss America Organization is the leading scholarship provider for women in the United States, awarding over $45 million each year.

WEEKLONG CELEBRATIONS, FUND-RAISERS, PRIVATE INTERVIEWS

The competition finals on Saturday, June 18, at 7:30 p.m., will be precipitated by a week of Staten Island-based special events and fund-raisers calling attention to the New York state pageant, now in its 71st year:

•  The week kicks-off with the 2011 Mr. New York competition, a fund-raising gala for the Miss New York Organization and the Empire State Educational Scholarship Fund.  Jeoffrey Watson, Mr. New York 2010, and Claire Buffie, Miss New York 2010, will take part in the ceremonies.

Doors open at 6 p.m.; showtime begins at 8 p.m. For prices, reservations and ticket information, call 718-477-2400 (ext. 5). The event, will take place at Lorenzo’s Restaurant, Bar & Cabaret, in the Hilton Garden Inn at 1100 South Ave.

•  As the host hotel of the Miss New York Pageant, the Hilton Garden Inn also will serve as the venue for the contestants’ private interview session with the judges. 
•  Earlier in the day, the contestants will ride the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan to the city’s “Borough of Parks.” Upon arrival, they will be welcomed by Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro with a reception at Borough Hall.
• On Tuesday, June 24, the contestants will: Participate in a Flag Day event with Molinaro and military veterans in the Island’s community of South Beach; have lunch with residents of the Eger Harbor House assisted-living facility; visit the Staten Island Zoo with children of mothers in the Project Hospitality program, and have dinner with beneficiaries of a Project Hospitality soup kitchen.
•   On Wednesday, the contestants will attend a luncheon with members of On Your Mark, a non-profit organization that provides comprehensive services to children and adults with a wide range of abilities and various disabilities.

The gathering will take place at the Children’s Museum in the Island’s Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Livingston.

SWIMWEAR, EVENINGWEAR AND TALENT

Also at the St. George Theatre, on June 17, contenders for the scholarship pageant crown will vie for the top spots in the preliminary swimwear, eveningwear and talent competitions; and on June 19, the Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen Competition will be held.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Tickets for the pageant will be available through the St. George Theatre box office at 718-442-2900, or via Ticketmaster. For additional information and a complete schedule of Pageant Week, visit http://www.missny.org/.

MEDIA CONTACT: BARTON HOROWITZ

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