There she goes; Miss America pageant back to Atlantic City

There she is, Miss America, headed back to Atlantic City, N.J.

The Miss America pageant was an Atlantic City staple for decades before it was moved to Las Vegas in 2006.

Gov. Chris Christie's spokesman Michael Drewniak on Wednesday night confirmed the news of the pageant's return to Atlantic City. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno is scheduled to make an announcement today on Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.

Las Vegas is honored to have hosted the pageant for the past seven years, said Courtney Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor's Authority.

"We understand that moving the televised event to various cities showcases America's diverse destinations which represent our great country," Fitzgerald said in an email. "We wish the Miss America organization well in their new home."

Miss America moved to Las Vegas in an effort to rebrand the company and the show, the organization's CEO, Art McMaster, said in 2006.

Interest in the pageant had waned. ABC had dropped the program from its lineup after a years-long association.

Las Vegas was supposed to bring back "the glitz and the glamour that we once had," McMaster said in an interview at that time.

The Miss America pageant started as little more than a bathing suit revue. It broke viewership records in its heyday and bills itself as one of the world's largest scholarship programs for women. But like other pageants, it has struggled to stay relevant as national attitudes regarding women's roles have changed.

Pageant officials did not respond to an after-hours email seeking comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.