Miss Central Jersey Competition To Take Place In Howell Saturday

HOWELL, NJ — You can be part of the excitement leading up to next year's Miss New Jersey/Miss America competitions at a Central Jersey preliminary event this Saturday at Howell High School.

The fifth annual Miss Central Jersey/Miss Central Jersey Coastline event, a preliminary to 2024 Miss New Jersey and Miss America competitions, will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Howell High School, said Darlene Corrubia.

Corrubia is a co-director of the event. Pete Bruno, former Howell High School athletic director, is the director of the event. she said. The outgoing Miss Central Jersey, Marielle Marlys of Wall, is the master of ceremonies, said Corrubia.

You can buy tickets at the door. The price is $20 per person and will be used toward the scholarship funds for the contestants, she said. The school is at 405 Squankum Yellowbrook Road, Farmingdale, NJ 07727.

And Corrubia said you can look forward to evening of excellent entertainment from the 11 contestants: There will be lyrical dance, a classical Indian dance, vocalists, tap dancers and a new category of talent called Her Story, in which a contestant presents a story about a meaningful experience in her life. You can learn more at the organization's website.

The Howell High School Rebel Remix will also perform, Corrubia said.

Corrubia said there is no contestant this year from Monmouth County, but there are two contestants from Ocean County, one from Lakewood, the other from Barnegat.

There is no more "swimsuit and heels" in the Miss America program, Corrubia noted.

Rather, winners are determined based on 30 percent for a intensive personal interview; 20 percent for talent; 20 percent for "Red Carpet," or evening gown; 10 percent for community service and 20 percent for health and fitness, in which contestants are in athletic wear and explain their health routines.

You can learn more about the Miss New Jersey competition at the organization's website. Twenty-two women will compete at the state level next year.

The competitions are all nonprofit organizations that raise scholarship funds for contestants that are applied under strict guidelines to the contestants' institutions of higher learning. The age range for contestants in 18 to 28, allowing graduate students to participate in the scholarship program too, said Corrubia.

The 102-year-old Miss America competition is the largest single source of scholarships for women, she said. She said to stay tuned for the 2023 Miss New Jersey and Miss America events, the dates of which will soon be announced.