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14/09/2017
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Kiera Allen kallen@daily-journal.com 815-937-3377 19 hrs ago 0
Miss North Dakota Cara Mund reacts after being named Miss America during Miss America 2018 pageant, Sunday, in Atlantic City, N.J. AP/Noah K. Murray
Gloria Sanders, of Kankakee, has been involved with the pageantry system since the 1970s when she competed in the Miss Kankakee County pageant as a teenager. She is the co-executive director of the Miss Kankakee County pageant.
On Sunday, she got the chance to sit in the audience at the live broadcasting of the 91st Miss America Pageant, held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., where 51 women were judged in categories including evening wear, talent, lifestyle and fitness.
"I was invited by Ann Baucus, the mother of the current Miss Kankakee County. We decided that we'd go last minute. So, we booked a 6 a.m. flight to Atlantic City that Sunday," Sanders said.
"The atmosphere was electric, and everyone was so proud of the 51 young ladies that competed," she said. "I got to meet so many new people from across the United States. Everyone was concerned about the issues with Hurricane Irma. We didn't find this out until after the fact, but Puerto Rico was supposed to compete but had to withdraw because of the hurricane."
For the first time in Miss America history, a contestant from North Dakota, 23-year-old Brown University graduate Cara Mund, was crowned Miss America. She took home a $50,000 scholarship as a part of her winnings.
Sanders attended the after-party and could tell exactly why Mund was chosen as Miss America.
"I got to meet and speak with her. She's highly intelligent, on her way to law school, and she's very personable," Sanders said.
Baucus originally is from New Jersey, so Sanders was able to get the full experience.
"I got to dip my feet in the ice cold Atlantic Ocean, I walked on the boardwalk and the New Jersey pizza was amazing. New Jersey is a nice place to visit, but I still love Illinois," Sanders said.
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