A 60-year Tri-Cities tradition is canceled this summer due to the coronavirus crisis
The Miss Tri-Cities Scholarship Competition is ending its 60-year run due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Organizers announced Tuesday that the summertime event, sponsored by the Tri-City Water Follies Association, has been canceled.
A new Miss Tri-Cities and Miss Tri-Cities Outstanding Teen were scheduled to be crowned July 18 in Kennewick, one week before Tri-Cities Water Follies and the hydroplane races.
The longtime tradition was called off due to “many unknowns regarding social distancing for the future,” according to a news release.
“The Miss Tri-Cities committee decided that canceling the competition for this year is the right thing to do to keep everyone safe and healthy and adhere to the public health guidelines,” Dot Stewart, executive director of the Miss Tri-Cities Program, said in the release. “Know that this decision was not easy, as this will be the first time in 60 years that we have not had a Miss Tri-Cities competition.”
“We are so grateful for all the community support and all our sponsors who have supported us with generous donations over the years,” Stewart added. “We look forward to a great year in 2021 as we celebrate this long-standing community tradition.”
The local competition is an official preliminary to the Miss Washington and Miss America competitions.
It is not clear if McKenzie Kennedy, Miss Tri-Cities 2020, and Lacey Fisher, Miss Tri-Cities Outstanding Teen 2020, will hold the titles for a second year or if the program will go without representation for one year.
Stewart said in the news release that all current applicants have been notified of the committee’s decision and that their applications will be kept on file for the 2021 competition.
Meanwhile, the 55th annual Tri-City Water Follies, HAPO Columbia Cup, is still on schedule for July 24-26 on the Columbia River.
More information about that event is available at waterfollies.com.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 7:12 PM.