Ready to take the runway Contestants prepare to vie for Miss DuPage, Kane, Western Suburbs crowns Contestants get ready to take the runway Pageant contestants get ready to take the runway.(News)

0 Comments | Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), March, 2003 | by Kmitch, Justin

Byline: Justin Kmitch Daily Herald Staff Writer Every hair is in place. The makeup, while in abundance, is evenly spread. Last-second posture corrections are made, and an enthusiastic smile is flashed. The lights go down and the curtain pulls back. "Come on, girls! I want to see smiling and waving on that stage," commands a pageant coach.

"These people paid to see something special, so show 'em what you've got and make them feel like they've got their money's worth." And this is just the practice run for the 24 young women who Sunday will compete simultaneously for the Miss DuPage County, Miss Kane County and Miss Western Suburbs titles Sunday at Bloomingdale's Indian Lakes Resort. The three winners earn scholarships and a trip to the Miss...