Pageant Offers Opportunity, Contestant Say

Who would have thought that events like the Mrs. Washington International Pageant would be something more than mere beauty contests?

To Robin Peterson of Spokane, the crown of Mrs. Washington could be a great vehicle to effect change.

Peterson and 12 other married women from across the state will participate in the Mrs. Washington program at the Ridpath Hotel Empire Ballroom on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

“Mrs. Washington gets to go out to a lot of different areas. They get to actually talk to a lot of women’s groups,” says Peterson, 35, and a mother of three.

“Going through the pageant, I realized that this is a pageant where you can do a lot of things. If you are the winner it allows you to speak to people on issues. I’m really big on getting the character ethic back into society.”

Peterson is one of eight contestants from the Spokane area appearing in the program. Last year, she was first runner-up out of 18 contestants. Being a first runner-up is turning into something of a pattern for Peterson. In high school she tried out for the Lilac Court and wound up being, well, first runner-up.

So what happens if her streak continues?

“I had made a commitment to all of my sponsors and everyone else that if I didn’t win this year I probably wouldn’t compete again next year,” Peterson says. “I have to get out of that cycle. That’s one of the things that prompted me. If I didn’t do it this year, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.

“This would be it, do or die,” she says with a lighthearted tone.

If two words could sum up Peterson’s daily life they’d be “balancing act.” On top of being a mother full time, she also models, works as a medical technician at Shriners Hospital and owns her own gold-plating business. If that’s not enough, the Valley woman volunteers for numerous organizations.

“It’s fun,” she says. “I think the busier you are the more organized you become.”

The winner of the Mrs. Washington pageant will move on to compete in the Mrs. USA International pageant in Tyler, Texas, in August.

Saturday’s pageant will be divided up into three sections: the personal interview, aerobic wear and evening gown.

Tickets for the program are $12 for adults and $7.50 for children 12 and under and are available at all G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or by calling 325-SEAT. A coronation ball will immediately follow the pageant. Tickets for the ball are $10 per person and will be available at the pageant.

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