PORTLAND, Maine — Two days of strobe lights, thumping pop music, fluorescent smiles and shimmering gowns were grinding toward a dramatic conclusion when Sal Malafronte, a hairstylist and pageant industry veteran, began to reveal the 10 semifinalists who had made the cut at the 2025 Miss Maine USA pageant.
A crowd of about 300 people had gathered Sunday afternoon inside a large ballroom at the Holiday Inn Portland-By the Bay, which had not seen this much excitement since April, when the hotel hosted Furcationland 2025, a convention for people who enjoy dressing as anthropomorphic animal characters.
“And we are going to begin,” Malafronte said, “with Penobscot, Arianna DeJesus!