When I was growing up, my parents and I always had a Saturday night ritual in early September: We would watch the Miss America Pageant from Convention Hall on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

I haven’t watched the pageant in decades, and, quite frankly, I was surprised to learn that it is still around. Although it was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is back this year - its 100th anniversary - and will be held on Dec. 16 at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut.

After the 2005 pageant, it was announced that it would be the last to be held each year in Atlantic City. It returned to the seaside city a few years later until 2019 when it moved to Connecticut.

Bert Parks, who hosted the show as emcee for a quarter-century (1955-79), was perfect for the job. He sang the theme song at the end of each show after the coming year’s Miss America was crowned: “There she is, Miss America; there she is, your ideal; the dream of a million girls who are more than pretty; can come true in Atlantic City …”

I felt so sorry for Parks, because he was unceremoniously fired after the 1979 pageant because organizers were trying to attract a more youthful audience. In a textbook case of how not to treat an employee, Parks heard about his fate on the radio while he was on vacation.

There was an overnight rebellion among Parks’ fans. Johnny Carson on ‘The Tonight Show’ led an on-air campaign to get Parks rehired, but it failed. In 1990, the 70th anniversary of the pageant, Parks was brought back to sing “There She Is” one last time.

Quite frankly, in recent years, despite some significant changes, the Miss America Pageant seems to be a throwback to a different, more innocent time. Even though it has undergone considerable modernization - for example, the swimsuit competition was discontinued in 2018 - there is still plenty of criticism surrounding the pageant, which some say began as a counterpoint to the suffragettes (give women the vote) movement of 1921.

The elimination of the swimsuit competition was hailed as a sign of progress and liberation from the concept of judging women by their looks. Former Fox News anchor and pageant chair Gretchen Carlson said, “We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance; it’s going to be what comes out of their mouth that we’re interested in.”

An interesting side note: The swimsuit competition was canceled between 1928 and 1932 because local community leaders along the Jersey Shore didn’t think it was acceptable for women to parade around in these outfits.

Supporters of the Miss America pageant have always bristled at the notion that this is a “`beauty contest,” noting that it relies heavily on contestants’ talents and poise under fire during the all-important on-stage interview. The winner receives a $50,000 scholarship and earns about $100,000 during the year through appearances and endorsements.

The pageant has been periodically steeped in controversy. Singer and actor Vanessa Williams became Miss America in 1983 but was forced to resign with seven weeks left in her reign when unauthorized nude photos of her were published in Penthouse magazine. Williams returned to the Miss America stage in 2015 where organizers apologized to her and her mother for the hardships they went through because of the organization’s decision to strip her of her crown.

Marla Wynne of Forks Township, Northampton County, was Miss Pennsylvania 2002 and finished in the top 10 at the national pageant. Wynne gained international sympathy when talk show host Larry King, a judge for the pageant, appeared on the Joan Rivers Show and called Wynne the “ugliest contestant” in the event. King complimented Wynne on doing a “great ventriloquist bit,” but added, “the dummy was prettier.”

There have been five Miss Americas from Pennsylvania during the 100-year history of the pageant - one from Ephrata and the others from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Meghan Sinisi of Altoona is this year’s Miss Pennsylvania, who will compete in the national pageant on Thursday. Once a network TV staple, this year, the pageant will be streamed on NBC Universal’s Peacock service.

One of the oddest incidents occurred in 1937 when Bette Cooper from Hackettstown, New Jersey, entered the contest on a dare from a friend. She was crowned Miss New Jersey, then Miss America, an honor she wasn’t seeking and didn’t want.

The day after the pageant, Cooper went missing and did not attend the press interview, much to the embarrassment of the pageant organizers. She showed up a few days later back home in Warren County. She and the organizers came to an agreement for a limited appearance schedule. Cooper died in 2017 in Connecticut but never once gave a public interview or explained her behavior.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.