The annual Miss Butler County Scholarship Competition has come a long way since its first winner donned the crown in 1979.

Butler County is the only county in Western Pennsylvania that continues to hold an annual county competition. The next nearest one is in Lewistown, Mifflin County.

The winner of Miss Butler County advances to the Miss Pennsylvania Competition, and the winner of the state crown advances to compete for the coveted title of Miss America.

This year’s Miss Butler County Scholarship Competition will be held Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Succop Theater on the Butler County Community College campus.

Judy Hughes joined Miss Butler County board of directors in 1989, and is co-director of the event today upon the occasion of its 45th anniversary.

This year, the 45th anniversary of the pageant will be celebrated by 16 former Miss Butler County winners who plan to attend.

Hughes said the lives of young ladies have changed since the inception of the local pageant, so the Miss America competition has grown and changed in response.

Starting in about 2015, Miss America eliminated the swimsuit competition and began embracing young women of any size or ability, as long as she wasn’t married and didn’t have children.

Hughes said locally, Miss Butler County lost a lot of people who had dedicated their lives to the pageant when those decisions were made.

Because the number of competitors from the county was dwindling, a local change in 2015 allowed young women from outside Butler County to compete for the title of Miss Butler County.

This year, 12 women are registered to compete for Miss Butler County, and Hughes hopes more will sign up for the pageant.

Women compete in talent, evening gown and fitness categories.

Each contestant also is interviewed privately before a panel of seven judges. Interviews are 10 minutes long, and judges have information about the women so they can be prepared when asking questions.

The talent portion of the event sees women play an instrument, sing, dance, recite monologues or poems, or perform other talents.

In the fitness category, the women model fitness wear during a group routine.

The young women also are asked a question on stage that is related to their community service work. All Miss Butler County contestants must complete a required Community Service Initiative to compete for the scholarships.

Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to Miss Butler County and Miss Moraine State, and $400 scholarships for the first runners-up. Contestants for those two titles are aged 18 to 28.

Miss Butler County Teen and Miss Moraine State Teen titles also are awarded. Both winners receive $500 scholarships, and first runners-up each receive $200 scholarships. Contestants for Miss Butler County Teen are ages 14 to 17.

The winner of the national Miss Teen pageant is offered a four-year full scholarship to the University of Alabama, Hughes said.

Hughes said the scholarships are sent to the winners’ colleges or universities, paid toward their student debt, or, in the case of Miss Butler County Teen, are held until they enter their post-high-school education.

Winners of Miss Butler County Teen and Miss Moraine State represent the county at various events for one year, including volunteering with Wreaths Across America and appearing in the Butler Spirit of Christmas Parade.

“They usually do six or eight events,” Hughes said. “Some do more.”

Sandi Kirby, board president at Miss Butler County, said young women know what to expect of them regarding their gown, shoes, hair and interview.

She said gowns don’t need to be the most expensive available, and can be comfortable, simple and elegant.

Kirby said women who have competed over multiple years have reported that the most helpful facet of the competition is the interview before the panel of judges.

“Those skills they learned in that 10-minute interview really helped them,” she said.

Hughes said young women of all sizes and abilities are welcome to compete in Miss Butler County or Miss Butler County Teen.

“They can build their character to pursue their dreams,” she said.

Samantha Roth, the reigning Miss Butler County, attended each year’s Miss Butler County pageant since she was 4 or 5 years old, she said.

“I’ve wanted to be Miss Butler County since I was a little girl,” Roth said. “So many amazing titleholders have paved the way for me.”

Roth’s goal is to see the pageant make it to its 100th year.

“I want to be 80 years old, sitting in the audience watching the pageant,” Roth said.

The 2022 Point Park University graduate will sing with 30 students from her business, the Batavia Performing Arts Studio in Mars, at the upcoming competition.

“It’s really important to keep this history going,” Roth said of the competition.

Kristen Griffiths, the reigning Miss Moraine State Teen, said it’s important to continue the legacy of the pageants because they not only provide scholarships to young women, they offer the opportunity to raise awareness on their community service projects.

Griffiths’ Community Service Initiative is “UNSTOPPABLE: My Fight for Cerebral Palsy Awareness.”

Griffiths, a native of Luzerne County, said the competition has afforded her the ability to join what she calls “the sisterhood” inherent among contestants.

“Sisterhood is one of the points of our organization and has given me so many amazing people in my life,” said Griffiths, who hails from northeastern Pennsylvania.

She has completed more than 80 appearances during her reign as Miss Moraine State Teen, including school visits, parades, speaking engagements and TV interviews.

Kirby encourages all young women to apply to compete in the 2024 Miss Butler County Scholarship Competition.

“This isn’t the pageant it was in the 1950s,” she said. “Its focus is on intelligence and the whole person.”