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Miss Powell River


The Miss Powell River contest has a long history in this town. The following is an excerpt from a speech written by Mrs. Peggy Bird for a past Miss Powell River contest, which summarizes the first 60 years of the contest.
"Over the sixty years there have been many gala social occasions in Powell River. Perhaps none has been more exciting than the Miss Powell River Pageant. It was not always so named and this morning we will review the history of this event.

​As early as 1925 a Paper Queen was chosen to rule over the Labor Day festivities sponsored by the Elks Lodge. It was called the Flag Day Celebration. The first paper queen was Lillian Omand. Queens were nominated by their schools or chosen by the district in which they resided. In 1934 Anna White was chosen to be the Paper Queen. Anna brought fame to Powell River as a ballerina and later as a choreographer in Hollywood and New York.

In 1945 the Sulphur Gulch Fair was organized and in this year Miss Ruth Ford was chosen Sulphur Gulch Queen by popular vote. In 1948 Miss Louise Martin won the title and went on to win the Miss B.C. pageant. She was sponsored by B.L. Bridge, a construction company that was in P.R. for a short time working on the steam plant. By some stroke of good fortune or good taste the Queen committee decided to change the title of Sulphur Gulch Queen to Miss Powell River and in 1953 Loretta Stratham as Miss Westview became Powell River's Queen. She then went on to compete in the Miss P.N.E. contest.

A series of talented and lovely Powell River girls was chosen over the next few years. In 1956 Gail Sloboda now Gail Curtis was crowned queen, in 1959 it was Dale Hancock, in 1964 - Dianne Taylor; and then in 1968 Miss Legion won the honor of wearing the crown for Powell River. Yes, Janet Bowes was our Queen that year and she carried the banner of Powell River into the Miss P.N.E pageant - and won that crown too. What an honor for our paper town!

In 1974 a lovely young lady from Sliammon won the title. Jeannie Paul was chosen to represent Powell River that year.

And so the story continues. Styles have changed. Hairdos have changed, but the thrill of being chosen Miss Powell River will never change."
In 1991, the name of the pageant was again changed, this time to "Powell River Youth Ambassador," the winner that year being Marisa Carmen. Since then we have been treated to a series of amazing young women who have carried the title exceptionally well and made our community proud. In 1998, Melissa Hindle won the pageant and then went on to win the title of Miss British Columbia. The most last winner of the Ambassador program was Heather Gambroski in 2008 after which the program was disbanded.

Mill Powell Rivers from 1927-2008

  • 1925 - Lillian Omand - the first “Powell River Paper Queen”
  • 1926 - Bertha Toll
  • 1927 - Josephine Mitchell 
  • 1928 - Lucille Donnenworth
  • 1929 - Irene Zorzi
  • 1930 - Dorothy Wilson
  • 1931 - Margaret Carr (Todd)
  • 1932 - No contest was held.
  • 1933 - Betty-Marie Smith
  • 1934 - Anna (Onna) White
  • 1935 - Betty Northy
  • 1936 - Ruth Parry
  • 1937 - No contest was held.
  • 1938 - Louise Culos - chosen by the Italian Community Club to represent them in the Queen of Columbus Day Contest in Vancouver
  • 1939-1944 - No contests were held​

Name Changed to Miss Sulphur Gulch
  • 1945 - Ruth Ford
  • 1946 - Anita Culos (Trevisan)
  • 1947 - No contest was held.
  • 1948 - Louise Martin (Tkachyk)
  • 1949 - No contest was held.
  • 1950 - Doreen McKenzie (Brown) - the first queen to participate in the Miss P.N.E. contest.
  • 1951 - No contest was held.
  • 1952 - Irene Meittenen (Cook)
  • 1953 - Loretta Statham (Bifford)​

Name Changed to Miss Powell River
  • 1954 - Lois Jackson
  • 1955 - Agnes Fries
  • 1956 - Gail Sloboda (Curtis)
  • 1957 - Louise Beadman
  • 1958 - Dianne Lanstrom (Cianci)
  • 1959 - Dale Hancock
  • 1960 - Gerry Moore
  • 1961 - Lorraine Smyth
  • 1962 - Annabelle Ashworth
  • 1963 - Sandra German
  • 1964 - Dianne Taylor (Knorr)
  • 1965 - Anne Stapleton
  • 1966 - Janis Young
  • 1967 - Sandra Martinuk
  • 1968 - Janet Bowes - Janet was the first Powell River Queen to win the Miss P.N.E. contest
  • 1969 - Elaine Shirk
  • 1970 - Janice Marriette
  • 1971 - Alison Carmichael
  • 1972 - Jannine Levangie
  • 1973 - Kathryn Millar
  • 1974 - Jeannie Paul
  • 1975 - Carla De Vita
  • 1976 - Debbie Ede
  • 1977 - Karen Mills
  • 1978 - Peggy Cattanack
  • 1979 - Judy Toth
  • 1980 - Charlene Bombardir
  • 1981 - Louise Montebello
  • 1982 - Denise Gauthier
  • 1983 - Sandy Boese
  • 1984 - Cathy Demchuck
  • 1985 - Kim Rost - Kim went on to win the Miss North Island title, and to come 3rd in the Miss Canada contest.
  • 1986 - Henrietta Becker
  • 1987 - Sherry Randall
  • 1988 - Angela Bombardir
  • 1989 - Lorel Clark
  • 1990 - No contest was held.​

Name changed to Powell River Youth Ambassador
  • 1991 - Marisa Carmen - Marisa was the first “Powell River Youth Ambassador.”
  • 1992 - Crystal Hatch
  • 1993 - Andrea Johnston
  • 1994 - Arwen Widmer - Arwen went on to win Miss P.N.E. that year.
  • 1995 - Heidi Elvy
  • 1996 - Kristy Krompocker
  • 1997 - Rachael Sundin
  • 1998 - Melissa Hindle - Melissa went on to win the title of Miss B.C.
  • 1999 - Liz Betteridge
  • 2000 - Jennifer Bryans
  • 2001 - Alana Larkin
  • 2002 - Carolyn Butula
  • 2003 - Carli Lundgren
  • 2004 - Madison Conner
  • 2005 - No contest held.
  • 2006 - Christine McCracken
  • 2007 - Mariah Beamin
  • 2008 - Heather Gambroski​​

Powell River Youth Ambassador Programme Discontinued
Picture
Paper Queen contestants, Irene Zorzi is the Queen, 1929. (ID 1967.1.82)
Picture
Paper Queen contestants, 1928. (ID 2010.9.7)
Picture
Powell River Queen, Miss Margaret Carr was Miss Paper Queen, 1931. (ID 2004. 4.11)
Picture
Irene Meittenen, Miss Sulphur Gulch, 1952. (ID PH003598)
Picture
Miss Powell River contestants, 1961. (ID N05259a)
Picture
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Contact Us
604-485-2222
info@qathetmuseum.ca
​4790 Marine Avenue, Powell River BC

© 2023 qathet Museum & Archives
​Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of material on this website. Dates and times are subject to change. 
Territorial Acknowledgement 
The qathet Museum & Archives is located on the traditional territories of the Tla’amin Nation. The Museum is committed to collaborating with all Indigenous peoples of this province including the Tla'amin Nation. We acknowledge the harms of the past, are committed to improving relationships in the spirit of reconciliation, and we extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live and learn on this territory. ​Emote!
  • Exhibits
    • Current Exhibits
    • Forestry Building
    • Virtual Exhibits >
      • Riveting Women
      • Symphonies of the Sunshine Coast
      • Capturing Mountains
      • Story of Cedar
      • Powell River Firsts
      • Rod LeMay Collection
  • Collections
    • Objects
    • Archives >
      • Research Requests
      • Indexes & Finding Aids
      • Archival Descriptions
      • Powell River Digester
      • Phone Books & Directories
      • Good Citizen
      • Record of Military Service
    • Local History Books
  • Programs
    • Public Programs Calendar >
      • Little Wonders
      • Spring Speaker Series
      • Fall Speaker Series
      • Mini-Curators
      • Papermaking
      • Summer Camps
      • Museum In the Park
      • Archaeology Day
    • School Programs >
      • Exhibit Visits
      • Outreach Kits
      • Portal to the Past
      • Educator's Survey
    • Virtual Programs >
      • Virtual Portal To the Past
      • A Taste of qathet's History
      • The Crafty Corner
      • Dive Into the Archives
    • Tours
    • Memoirs
  • Learn
    • Indigenous History
    • Place Names
    • Forestry History
    • Memories of the Mill
    • Community History
    • Blast from the Past
    • The Coast Memoirs
    • Heritage Stops
    • Blog
  • Support
    • Gift Shop
    • Membership
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Careers
  • About
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Name Change
    • Our Mandate
    • News & Reports
    • Staff & Board
    • Contact Us