The Miss Viroqua court will be getting some spurs this August.

The Miss Viroqua program, the city of Viroqua’s ambassador program that has been run by the Viroqua Partners, is being reinvented into the Miss Wild West Viroqua program.

The Partners will be involved in bestowing scholarships on the participants, however, a separate Miss Wild West Viroqua committee has formed, which is now coordinating the details of the program.

The first Miss Wild West Viroqua is to be crowned on Monday, Aug. 3, at the Firehouse Restaurant. The reign of the court will coincide with the passage of Viroqua’s annual Wild West Days celebration, which draws tens of thousands of visitors to the city in mid-August.

The Miss Wild West Viroqua committee is made up of former Miss Viroqua court members and parents of those who had served on the court. The program has been active since the early 1970s.

Judy Gilbertson, who is co-chair of the committee with Jamie Dunnum, said the response to the change has been positive.

“We’re excited and people we’ve talked to about it are excited,” Gilbertson said. “We want to see it go. We want to help it stay active. It’s important for Viroqua.”

The Viroqua Partners inherited the Miss Viroqua program a number of years ago. Over this past winter, the Partners board discussed changing the program to “Viroqua Ambassadors”

“The two main changes with this is that we would focus less on parades and more on service and that the program would also involve young men,” Rebecca Eby, Executive Director of the Viroqua Partners, said. “When we told people about the direction we wanted to take, we didn’t get a lot of response. That’s when this new committee formed. They asked if the Partners board would support it and the board approved it. We’re excited about its future.”

Gilbertson’s daughter, Ahna, was a past member of the court. Dunnum also served on the court. Gilbertson said a survey done in the Viroqua School District found there were almost 20 young women interested in participating in the program. One change the committee will make is opening the court up to those who attend private schools or are homeschooled. The previous program was only for girls in the public school system.

“Our committee has about 10 people who have connections to the past program,” Gilbertson said. “The thing we see for those who participate is that, for them, it’s such an eye-opener about their community. It also gives them confidence.”

The Miss Wild West Viroqua court will still be the city of Viroqua’s face at community celebrations throughout the Coulee Region.

The program is open to young women ages 15-to-18 in grades 10-12 for the 2009-2010 school year. The court has traditionally had three representatives.

Application for this year’s court can be obtained by calling Judy Gilbertson at 637-7390. If leaving a message, please leave the full name of the applicant, address and phone number.

The Miss Wild West Viroqua banquet and crowning ceremony will be held Monday, Aug. 3, at the Firehouse Restaurant in Viroqua. Social hour is at 6:30 p.m. and the dinner is at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available for the general public to attend.

For more information contact Gilbertson, Dunnum (634-3161) or Linda Gilardi (637-2216).