Queen should be from Parkersburg

I have to admit I tend to agree with some of those I talked with Sunday and today who questioned why the Parkersburg Homecoming queen and teen queen were not from Parkersburg.

The queen selected was from Fraziers Bottom in Putnam County and the teen queen was from Bridgeport. The closest local girl to win in the competition was the first runner-up in the Homecoming queen competition and she was from Vienna.

If the Homecoming was the West Virginia queen contest, then it would make sense for the contestants to be from around the state, but it is not and they should not.

After all, would it be acceptable for a Miss America to be from Russia, China, Brazil or Iraq? I don't think so and I'd bet there are rules that state the contestants must be American citizens ... if there aren't, there should be!

The Parkersburg Homecoming queen should be from Parkersburg, unless she was from Parkersburg and is "coming home" to the community.

If there aren't enough Parkersburg girls interested in the competition, then maybe it should be eliminated.

If the homecoming committee wants the queen to participate in local events throughout the year, it only seems reasonable to have the queen be from the area so she can participate in those events without having to travel long distances.