Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 22, 1995 TAG: 9507240067
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It does business as Miss Virginia Pageant Inc., a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization dating back more than 30 years.
Although the pageant is a statewide event capping 31 community-level pageants, it is run by a board of directors made up entirely of Roanoke Valley residents. The roster of people behind it reads like a Who's Who of the Roanoke Valley, with names such as Larry Lynch, chairman of the business and economics department at Roanoke College; Donald Reid, area manager for Bell Atlantic Corp.; prominent lawyers; and City Councilwoman Elizabeth Bowles.
It is this group that ruled this week that Andrea Ballengee must give up the crown she won at the 1995 pageant.
The pageant was brought to the valley 42 years ago by Bowles, Executive Director Margaret Baker said. Its first local sponsor was the Roanoke Valley Junior Woman's Club, which secured permission from the Miss America organization in Atlantic City, N.J., to play pageant host.
Miss America officials transferred the right to host the pageant, in the form of a franchise agreement, in 1963 from the club - which was surrendering the responsibility - to a nonprofit organization created that year by prominent Roanoke citizens, Baker said.
The citizen group was led by Jack Smith, who then was president of what's now the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce. The pageant organization and the chamber, though separate groups, have remained close: They have the same phone number, address and public spokesman, Bud Oakey.
The chamber, which employs Baker as its community development director, long ago lent office space to the pageant. It serves as host of an annual reception at pageant time, but does not donate money to the pageant, Baker said.
Miss America officials have renewed the Roanoke group's franchise every five years, though national pageant officials recently switched to issuing two-year renewals to state pageant organizations, Baker said.
The Roanoke group's most recent renewal came last fall, meaning the group can hold the pageant at least through next year, Baker said.
Groups in other communities in the state have asked the Miss America organization to award them the franchise, said Baker, who said she was not told which localities.
Nothing would prevent the pageant's Roanoke directors from staging the event in other cities as a gesture of good will - other state pageants do that - but there are no such plans, Baker said.
According to its public filing with the Internal Revenue Service, the pageant organization reported income of $97,677 during the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 1994, the most recent period for which financial statements are available. The largest source of income came from sale of pageant tickets, Baker said.
The pageant received a share of advertising revenue collected by Roanoke TV station WSLS (Channel 10) during the pageant broadcast, Baker said. In return, the stationcan broadcast the event.
Miss Virginia Pageant Inc. does not pay the Miss America organization for the right to be host of the state pageant, but it does charge local pageant organizations a franchise fee that most recently was $670 per year. Local pageants, in return, receive support, including accident insurance for their winners, and tickets to the state pageant.
Pageant officials spent $91,441 during the most recent fiscal year, records show, including $14,000 for "grants," which presumably represent scholarship awards. It has no paid staff.
It finished the year $6,236 ahead, a sum which, when added to previous surpluses of $14,099, gave the organization assets of $20,335.
by CNB