Mrs. Longmont says she is 'not a pageant girl'

Dana Cadey, Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.
·3 min read

Jan. 27—Michelle Deines is, in her own words, not a pageant girl.

That's not stopping her from returning to the Mrs. Colorado contest for her second year in a row, representing her home city of Longmont.

"I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I am incredibly introverted," said Deines, Mrs. Longmont 2024. "But I have this passion to want to help people, and I'm just trying to live out what I'm being called to do right now."

Deines competed in last year's Mrs. Colorado pageant alongside her mom, Dianne Haskell, who was Mrs. Firestone. Deines placed in the competition's social media category for her work promoting the pageant, while Haskell won the award for being the longest married contestant.

Haskell and Deines are side-by-side again this year as Mrs. Firestone and Mrs. Longmont, respectively. The pageant might be a competition — whoever wins Mrs. Colorado in April advances to the Mrs. America contest later this year — but Deines said there's no competitiveness between her and her mom.

"All of the other women just loved that Mom and I did it together, and that we were so helpful to everybody else," Deines said. "I'm going to really treasure that forever, having this experience with her doing something that is really unique."

That lack of competitiveness extends to the rest of the contestants, as well, which Deines likened to a sisterhood.

"We're just women who are trying to make a difference in our community in a positive way," she said. "They all have gifts and talents that they're bringing to the table."

In addition to homeschooling her two kids, Deines works during the winter as a supervisor at the Longmont Ice Pavilion in Roosevelt Park. She's also an officer for her church and helps with ballot processing for Boulder County during election seasons.

Deines' campaign slogan is "Serving Others to Strengthen Communities with Purpose, Kindness and Faith."

"Everything that I do has a purpose," Deines said, referencing her detail-oriented nature. "(And) we need more kindness in this world, to be loving and accepting of each other."

Last year, Deines started a podcast through Longmont Public Media that highlights a different local nonprofit or service organization every episode. "Serving Locally, with Michelle" has already covered several groups, including the Veterans Community Project of Longmont, St. Vrain State Park and the Longmont Humane Society.

Keeping things local is a central feature of Deines' campaign. She buys her pageant gowns from thrift stores in town, her hairdresser lives in Longmont, and her photoshoot for last year's contest took place in the heart of downtown along Main Street.

"I'm trying to build up Longmont as much as I can in whatever I'm doing," Deines said. "I want to have sponsors that are local so I can help them out."

While winning the competition would send Deines to Las Vegas for the Mrs. America pageant, first place isn't something she necessarily has her eyes on. If she wins, she can't enter Mrs. Colorado in the future. And for Deines, her favorite part of being Mrs. Longmont is the opportunity to show others what makes the city special.

"I want the spotlight so I can shine it and redirect it on other things in the community," Deines said.

Mrs. Colorado will be held on April 6 at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1400 Curtis St. in Denver. For more information about Deines' projects and how to support her campaign, visit linktr.ee/mrslongmont2023.