Miss Volunteer America pageant back in town this week

Jackson is a little more populated than usual this week as 51 contestants in the Miss Volunteer America Pageant are in town to crown the organization’s second-ever national queen.

The week started on Sunday when the contestants – representing 50 states and the District of Columbia – were introduced at a introduction ceremony at The Ned.

Last year’s winner, Alexa Knutzen, was the emcee who introduced everyone, but not before the crowd of near capacity at The Ned heard from pageant coordinator Allison Demarcus.

“We’re so glad to have all of you here from nearly literally all over the globe,” Demarcus said, acknowledging Miss Hawaii Volunteer and Miss Alaska Volunteer, whose states are practically in other hemispheres.

Christine Williamson, the inaugural Miss Tennessee Volunteer crowned in 2019, has stayed with the organization and helps coordinate social media and marketing for Knutzen.

“I’ve really gotten to know Alexa over the past year and really gotten to see her heart and the passion she has others and service for other people,” Williamson said. “She really took on the role of our queen in its first year and represented us well and did a great job representing us all over the country.”

The pageant starts Wednesday with opening night at the Carl Perkins Civic Center at 7 p.m. Preliminaries are Wednesday through Friday before the finals Saturday night. Tickets are available at Carl Perkins Civic Center Tickets (etix.com).

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news