Miss Michigan USA 2010 to be crowned this weekend at pageant in Port Huron

by Jessica Nunez | MLive.com

Thursday September 17, 2009, 12:09 PM

Courtesy of Miss Michigan USAMiss Michigan 2009 Lindsey Tycholiz, center, poses with the runners up after receiving her crown last September.

Love them or hate them, beauty pageants are just as much a part of American culture as football players and Homecoming queens. Every year, countless pageants take place at the city, county and state levels before culminating in the two major national competitions -- Miss USAand Miss America.

This weekend, 41 young women from all over Michigan will gather at the McMorran Place Theater in Port Huron to compete for the title of Miss Michigan USA 2010 and represent Michigan in the 2010 Miss USA pageant next spring.

VOTE FOR MISS PHOTOGENIC

Miss USA:

Miss Teen USA:

The Miss USA pageant is televised nationally and gained a heavy dose of publicity last May after Miss California Carrie Prejean made a controversial remark about same-sex marriage during her onstage interview.

The pageant is operated by Donald Trump's Miss Universe Organization, which also runs Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA, as well as all their state feeder pageants.

Miss USA and Miss America have been rival pageants since the 1950s, but the only real difference between the two is that Miss America includes a talent portion and Miss USA does not.

Miss Michigan has won the Miss USA pageant twice, one being Detroit-native Carole Gist, who became the first African American woman to win the title in 1990.

The Miss Michigan USA pageant takes place this Friday and Saturday at the McMorran Place Theater in Port Huron. The Miss Michigan Teen USA pageant will also take place at that time.

For more information and to see photos of the contestants, go tomissmichiganusa.com

You can also vote in the pageant's Miss Photogenic Contest for both Miss Michigan USA and Miss Michigan Teen USA.

The winner will be announced at the pageant this weekend.

http://www.mlive.com