Good ol' Days was the center of beauty
<p>Jaci Agustin, Cindy Archer, and Alyssa Schock, pose for their audience in St. Ignatius. Following the coronation of Mrs. Montana 2014, the three signed autographs and took photos with those in attendance.</p>
St. Ignatius got a treat Friday night during the kick off the 32nd Annual Good Old Days: Four American beauty queens were in attendance.
Friday night’s festivities kicked off with the coronation of Mrs. Montana 2014, an event usually scheduled for Billings. Mrs. Montana 2013 and 2014 were in St. Ignatius, as well as Mrs. Hawaii 2013 and Miss Good Old Days, who had been crowned after the Good Old Days pageant that afternoon.
Mrs. Montana 2013, Alyssa Schock, is a native to St. Ignatius, as is her sister, Jaci Augustin, who was crowned Mrs. Hawaii 2013 and returned to her hometown to emcee the event.
Due to some changes this year in the direction of the Mrs. Montana pageant, Schock was able to move the coronation to St. Ignatius.
“The new Mrs. Montana is from Missoula, I’m from St. Ignatius, it just seemed easier for us to have it here rather than having to drive to Billings,” Schock said.
The title of Mrs. Montana 2014 went to Cindy Archer, who was born and raised in Missoula. She will compete in the Mrs. America pageant in Tucson Arizona. Her resume is well-endowed with community service. Currently, she raised funds for competition cheer programs in Missoula, works with Missoula Youth homes and is on the advisory board for Financial Literacy programs in Missoula County high schools. She is also fluent in the Quidbooks financial program and may begin teaching classes to help young people become financially savvy.
“I feel so grateful to have won this title,” Archer said, in between signing autographs. “I’m so proud to have the opportunity to represent Montana because I’m a native. I was born and raised in Missoula and this is my home.”
Alyssa Schock has no doubt Archer is the right person to take her place as the reigning Mrs. Montana.
“I knew right away she was perfect for this, and we were friends instantly. She’s accomplished, she’s a people person, and she does amazing things for her community,” Schock said.
Last year, Schock competed in the Mrs. America competition with a platform for healthy living. She herself suffers from Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis and is working on her doctorate in physical therapy. Exercise and health, she says, are huge parts of her life.
“It humbled me to see how many people I can reach with my program and work,” she says. “There is no bottom to my heart with how much gratitude I have.”
Her sister, Jaci Augustin, is also from St. Ignatius but now lives in Hawaii. She also competed in the 2013 Mrs. America pageant; it was the first time in history two sisters had competed against each other in the pageant. Augustin is now running for the Hawaii House of Representatives.
Schock’s daughter, Lola Schock, was also crowned a pageant queen on Friday after she won the Miss Good Old Days pageant. She signed autographs alongside her mother and aunt Friday evening.
The Mrs. America pageant, which Archer will compete in, is the only televised pageant for married women. It’s goal is to empower married women and to show gratitude for the roles they play as mothers, wives and leaders in communities.