Here she comes, after 18 years

For Amy Hart, the Miss Fountain Valley Scholarship Pageant is about a lot more than beauty.

The president of From the Hart Modeling in Fountain Valley is part of a coalition, along with Mayor Larry Crandall, the Chamber of Commerce and former Huntington Beach Mayor David Garofalo, to bring the long-defunct pageant back to town. Hart would like to see a young woman representing Fountain Valley, but more importantly, she’d like to present the winner with a hefty scholarship in tough economic times.

“A lot of companies want master’s degrees,” said Hart, a Huntington Beach resident. “When you look at the monetary value, it’s very expensive to get your education. In the end, if there’s more money than necessary to cover your bachelor’s, what these young ladies can do is go on to get their master’s.”

The amount of money Miss Fountain Valley will win is up in the air, as Hart and her allies are still soliciting donations from businesses around town. The group has already gotten monetary donations from Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center and Allstar Garage Door. Beverly White, the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said her group also plans to co-sponsor the event.

Travis Caves, the owner of Allstar Garage Door, said he hoped other businesses would follow suit.

“I think it would be a great thing,” he said. “We’re hoping to get some other people to donate, because it’s all going to a great cause.”

If the pageant works out, the city will send a contestant to Miss California next year for the first time in nearly two decades. The Miss Fountain Valley pageant first took place in 1964 and was discontinued in 1991, according to chamber records.

Hart has already been awarded the Miss Fountain Valley franchise by the Miss California Organization and posted an ad on Craigslist seeking contestants. The pageant seeks women between the ages of 17 and 24 who live, work or go to school in Fountain Valley. By the end of last week, Hart said, about half a dozen women had answered the ad, and she hopes to have 20 for the pageant scheduled for March 13.

The winner would head on to the Miss California pageant in Fresno, with the winner of that competition vying for the Miss America crown. Contestants must demonstrate a talent, which could be singing, dancing, public speaking or something else.

Garofalo, who lives near Hart, said the tradition was overdue for a revival.

“I think Fountain Valley deserves the Miss Fountain Valley pageant,” he said. “There should be a young lady who represents the community.”

Hart got an unlikely ally in Pam Alagata, the executive director of the Miss Huntington Beach pageant, who has served as a mentor and connected her with potential sponsors. The cause of the pageant, Alagata said, was more important than crosstown rivalry.

“I believe that the more scholarship money out there to give to a young lady, the better,” she said. “With just Miss Huntington Beach around, there’s no availability for young ladies from Fountain Valley to be able to do that.”