Photo by Nastassia Davis, 2021
Title: Miss America: An Atlantic City Tradition
Artist: Lauren Carroll
The Miss America pageant turns 100 years old this year. The first pageant was first held in Atlantic City the weekend following the Labor Day holiday, in an attempt to extend the seasonal business. Titled "Miss America" by an editor at The Atlantic City Press, the annual event grew to a national phenomenon, setting the standard for pageants, parades and talent competitions. Even though the pageant has been held in different cities, the people and places around Atlantic City have shaped pageant pop culture for the last century!