Some say that you can tell the caliber of a person, or group by the company they keep. If this statement is true, folks involved with the Miss Poulsbo Pageant are definitely soaring high.

The homegrown organization crowned its 50th winner Saturday in grand fashion, continuing a tradition of excellence that stems back to Dwight Eisenhower’s days in the White House. The road wasn’t always pot-hole free, but the women and men who kept the idea driving forward seemed to realize that greatness was achievable if they just made it around the next corner. We’re happy to say that they arrived at their destination some time ago and have been enjoying the fruits of their labors — which are staggering — for quite a while. The pageant has traveled a long way in 50 years and will undoubtedly continue its successful path for the next 50 and well beyond.

The North Kitsap Herald would like to thank those who truly make the dream a reality for our local contestants and especially thank those who take the stage in search of that dream. We’d also like to congratulate Miss Poulsbo 2004 Canon Henness. Without young, intelligent and talented women like her, the pageant would have never come this far.