Contestants from throughout Arkansas arrive Friday in Bentonville for the Miss Arkansas USA 2013 Pageant.
Winner of the pageant will represent Arkansas at the Miss USA 2013 Pageant later this year. If she wins the Miss USA Pageant, she will represent the United States at the Miss Universe 2013 Pageant.
The Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants are co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC Universal.
Contestants register for the competition on Friday, enjoy meeting other contestants, be treated at a large dinner and meet civic and pageant officials.
Rehearsals begin Saturday morning with evening gown and swimsuit competitions scheduled for Saturday night.
On Sunday, semifinalists will be announced and a new Miss Arkansas USA will be crowned.
Contestants are judged in swimsuit, evening gown and interview categories.
The pageant marks the end of the reign of Miss Arkansas USA 2012 Kelsey Dow, who finished in the Top 16 at the Miss USA 2012 Pageant.
"She has spoken to local schools about the importance of volunteering and hopes to encourage the younger generation to get involved," according to her official pageant biography. "Kelsey is also an advocate against Texting and Driving. She hopes to raise awareness of the dangers texting and driving causes."
She plans to earn a master's degree with the ambition of becoming a pediatric speech-language pathologist.
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