This weekend, the WKU community can expect a competition filled with glitz and glamour coupled with a display of personal character and speaking ability at Van Meter Auditorium.

Miss Kentucky United States will commence for the first time in Bowling Green.

Katy Moody Cusick, director of the pageant and a previous titleholder of Miss Kentucky United States, said organization for the event began several months ago after she took on the role in November 2015. A Bowling Green native and WKU alumna, Cusick said she hopes the pageant can continue to be held in town.

“We just want to get Bowling Green involved and maybe find a new home so we can keep [the pageant] here every year,” Cusick said. 

There are seven divisions that nearly 50 girls and women will compete in based on their respective age brackets.

The pageant involves four components: evening wear, swimsuit and fitness, an onstage question and a closed interview. 

Participants will arrive in Bowling Green on the evening of Friday, Feb. 12 and will engage in a meet-and-greet before the preliminary competition the following day. They go on to compete throughout the weekend, and eventually the new 2016 title holders are crowned.

Adrienne Poole, a Brandenburg freshman at the University of Kentucky, was crowned Miss Teen Kentucky United States last year. Poole said the 10-minute closed interview portion is what really defines the competition and makes a candidate stand out.

“I think that that’s the most important thing about pageantry is really seeing who the girl truly is and her credentials,” Poole said.

Cusick said title holders in the past have made appearances at numerous events like the Kentucky Derby in preparation for the national competition. Such a whirlwind of events was deemed positive in Poole’s eyes, though.

“It was a huge accomplishment in my life…it provided me a year of self-growth that I wouldn’t have otherwise had,” Poole said.

The preliminary competition will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.  The finals on Sunday will begin at 3 p.m.