Photograph of Jerry Chenoweth, representing the Oriental Theatre, smiling and posing with one hand on her hip as others look on in the background. She is wearing heels, a swimming suit, and a sash with the words “Miss Oriental Theatre” printed on it. Chenoweth won a beauty contest held at Jantzen Beach in Portland on August 15, 1929, as part of a picnic sponsored by the East Side Commercial Club. The contest had 23 participants, each representing a business or organization. A cropped version of this photograph was published on Page 10 of the Oregon Journal on August 16, 1929, alongside pictures of Lola Knutson (image No. 371N3047), who took second place, and Mary Benoit (image No. 371N3052), who was third. The photographs were published under the headline "East Side's Winning Maids," and accompanied a short article about the contest, titled "Bathing Girls Not Afraid to Get Hair Damp."

Photograph of Lola Knutson, representing the Bagdad Theatre, smiling and posing with one hand on her hip as others look on in the background. She is wearing heels, a sash with the words “Miss Bagdad Theatre” printed on it, and a swimming suit. Knutson took second place in a beauty contest held at Jantzen Beach in Portland on August 15, 1929, as part of a picnic sponsored by the East Side Commercial Club. The contest had 23 participants, each representing a business or organization. A cropped version of this photograph was published on Page 10 of the Oregon Journal on August 16, 1929, alongside pictures of Jerry Chenoweth (image No. 371N3050), who won the contest, and Mary Benoit (image No. 371N3052), who took third place. The photographs were published under the headline "East Side's Winning Maids," and accompanied a short article about the contest, titled "Bathing Girls Not Afraid to Get Hair Damp."

Photograph of Mary Benoit, representing Sears Roebuck Co., smiling and posing with one hand on her hip as others look on in the background. She is wearing heels, a swimming suit, and a sash with the words “Miss Sears Roebuck Co.” printed on it. Benoit took third place in a beauty contest held at Jantzen Beach in Portland on August 15, 1929, as part of a picnic sponsored by the East Side Commercial Club. The contest had 23 participants, each representing a business or organization. A cropped version of this photograph was published on Page 10 of the Oregon Journal on August 16, 1929, alongside pictures of Jerry Chenoweth (image No. 371N3050), who won the contest, and Lola Knutson (image No. 371N3047), who took second place. The photographs were published under the headline "East Side's Winning Maids," and accompanied a short article about the contest, titled "Bathing Girls Not Afraid to Get Hair Damp."

Photograph showing a group of women, all wearing swimming suits and sashes, walking in a line during a beauty contest at Jantzen Beach in Portland on August 15, 1929. The woman on the far left is Mary Benoit; the other women are unidentified. Twenty-three women participated in the beauty contest, which was part of a picnic sponsored by the East Side Commercial Club. A brief story about the contest and picnic was published on Page 10 of the Oregon Journal on August 16, 1929, under the headline “Bathing Girls Not Afraid to Get Hair Damp.”

Photograph showing a group of unidentified women walking in a line during a beauty contest at Jantzen Beach in Portland on August 15, 1929. Twenty-three women participated in the beauty contest, which was part of a picnic sponsored by the East Side Commercial Club. A brief story about the contest and picnic was published on Page 10 of the Oregon Journal on August 16, 1929, under the headline “Bathing Girls Not Afraid to Get Hair Damp.”

Portrait of a group of women posing with a car at Jantzen Beach in Portland on August 15, 1929. They are wearing sashes and swimming suits. The women, each representing a business or organization, participated in a beauty contest held as part of a picnic sponsored by the East Side Commercial Club. The woman at front center, sitting on the bumper of the car and wearing an “Oriental Theatre” sash, is Jerry Chenoweth, who won the contest. Standing next to her is Mary Benoit, representing Sears Roebuck Co., who took second place. A brief story about the contest and picnic was published on Page 10 of the Oregon Journal on August 16, 1929, under the headline “Bathing Girls Not Afraid to Get Hair Damp.”

Portrait of a group of women posing with a car at Jantzen Beach in Portland on August 15, 1929. They are wearing sashes and swimming suits. The women, each representing a business or organization, participated in a beauty contest held as part of a picnic sponsored by the East Side Commercial Club. The woman at front center, sitting on the bumper of the car and wearing an “Oriental Theatre” sash, is Jerry Chenoweth, who won the contest. Standing next to her is Mary Benoit, representing Sears Roebuck Co., who took second place. A brief story about the contest and picnic was published on Page 10 of the Oregon Journal on August 16, 1929, under the headline “Bathing Girls Not Afraid to Get Hair Damp.”

Beverly Elaine Dean (right), after winning the title of Miss Portland, 1949. She stands next to another woman, who also wears a bathing suit. A man holds a “Miss Portland” sash next to Dean, who is looking upward and smiling. Photographs from this series were published in the Oregon Journal on June 23rd and 24th, 1949 (negative 6 of 10).

Beverly Elaine Dean, after winning the title of Miss Portland, 1949. She sits on a velvet lined stool while a man hands her a bouquet of roses. Photographs from this series were published in the Oregon Journal on Friday, June 24, 1949 (negative 1 of 10).

Beverly Elaine Dean, after winning the title of Miss Portland, 1949. She sits on a velvet lined stool, holding a bouquet of roses and wearing a “Miss Portland” sash. Another woman, wearing a long coat, stands next to Dean. Photographs from this series were published in the Oregon Journal on Friday, June 24, 1949 (negative 3 of 10).

This photograph depicts a climber ascending a tree trunk during a tree-topping contest. Transcribed from handwritten note on back of the photograph, "Tree-topping contest - Longview Rolleo, 1930. High climber ascending."

This photograph depicts a man using a crosscut saw to cut through a tree trunk during a cross-cutting contest, as a crowd watches from behind. This photograph depicts a contestant at the Longview Rolleo during a cross-cutting contest.

Photograph showing a display of cans of new “Question Mark” American cheese. Accompanying the cans are flyers advertising a contest to name and create recipes for the new cheese.

A photograph of Florence Neavoll, winner of the chocolate cake competition at the Oregon State Fair, standing with contest judge, Gerry Frank. Neavoll is holding her winning chocolate cake and first prize ribbon up on a plate as Frank takes a bite from a slice of the cake. This photograph was published in the August 29, 1979 edition of the Oregon Journal along with the recipe for the winning cake.

A photograph of Gerry Frank judging the chocolate cake competition at the Oregon State Fair. Frank stands behind a counter covered with numerous chocolate cakes. He is using a fork to take a bite of a slice of cake. The tops of the cake are reflected in an angled mirror mounted to the top of the counter.

A page from Gerry Frank's 1960 scrapbook. A judge ribbon for the Oregon State Fair is pinned to the upper right corner of the page. A photograph of Frank judging a chocolate cake competition during the 1960 Oregon State Fair is glued to the center of the page. Frank is seated at a table holding a fork. There are slices of cake and papers on the table in front of him. He is wearing a suit jacket with a judge's ribbon on the lapel. A typed caption glued to the top left corner of the page reads, "September 2, 1960."

A photograph of Gerry Frank judging a chocolate cake competition during the 1960 Oregon State Fair. Frank is seated at a table holding a fork. There are slices of cake and papers on the table in front of him. He is wearing a suit jacket with a judge's ribbon on the lapel. A typed caption glued to the top left corner of the page reads, "September 2, 1960."

Portrait of a young woman wearing a collared dress or blouse. The name “Jane Brewster” is written on the negative and is visible on the right side of the image. A cropped version of this photograph was published on Page 1 of the Oregon Journal on September 26, 1929, next to a photo of a boy. The two photos were published under the headline "Here's Healthy Pair," and had the following caption: “Jane Brewster, 13, and Kenneth Cliff Jr., 11, both of Irvington school here, who took first honors in the health contest at Salem state fair. Jane scored 999 and Kenneth scored 1000, so they are pretty well, thank you. The photographs accompanied a story about Brewster and Cliff, headlined “2 Portland Youngsters Healthiest.”

Previous winner Jane Hoberg, left, stands with the 1948 Miss Portland, Colleen Miller, at the Nortonia Hotel in Portland. Hoberg is holding a bouquet of roses, while Miller is wearing a bathing suit and a “Portland” sash. A similar photograph was published in the Oregon Journal on Saturday, July 3, 1948 (negative 1 of 7).

Photograph of Jerry Chenoweth, representing the Oriental Theatre, walking across an outdoor stage during a beauty contest at Jantzen Beach in Portland on August 15, 1929. She is wearing heels and a swimming suit. Musicians are playing on the stage behind her. Chenoweth won the contest, which had 23 participants and was part of a picnic sponsored by the East Side Commercial Club. A brief story about the contest and picnic was published on Page 10 of the Oregon Journal on August 16, 1929, under the headline “Bathing Girls Not Afraid to Get Hair Damp.”

This photograph depicts two men jousting atop logs during a contest challenge as several participants watch during the Longview Rolleo.

Letters sent by William and Irene Finley for the "Believe It or Not" contest held by the Oregonian.

This photograph depicts a man rolling a log as his opponent falls into the water during a log-rolling contest. Transcribed from handwritten note on back of the photograph, "Longview Rolleo, 1930. Rolling his opponent [sic] under in log-rolling contest."

This photograph depicts a man and woman participating during a log-rolling contest, with the woman having fallen into the water. Transcribed from handwritten note on back of the photograph, "Longview Rolleo, 1930. Man and woman log-rolling contest."

Photograph of Lola Knutson, representing the Bagdad Theatre, waving as she walks across an outdoor stage during a beauty contest at Jantzen Beach in Portland on August 15, 1929. She is wearing heels, a sash with the words “Miss Bagdad Theatre” printed on it, and a swimming suit. Musicians are playing on the stage behind her. Knutson was one of 23 women to participate in the beauty contest at a picnic sponsored by the East Side Commercial Club. She took second prize in the contest. A brief story about the contest and picnic was published on Page 10 of the Oregon Journal on August 16, 1929, under the headline “Bathing Girls Not Afraid to Get Hair Damp.”

Marilyn Craghead being crowned “Miss Flame” of 1954 during a luncheon for the Junior Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Multnomah Hotel in Portland. She stands on a chair as a man sprays her with a fire extinguisher. A photograph from this series was published in the Oregon Journal on Wednesday, September 29, 1954 (negative 3 of 3).

Contestants for “Miss Flame” of 1954 at a Junior Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Multnomah Hotel in Portland. The contestants are wearing bathing suits while standing on chair, each holding a sign with a number and name. A photograph from this series was published in the Oregon Journal on Wednesday, September 29, 1954 (negative 1 of 3).

“Miss Oregon” contestants from Astoria, Lebanon, and Tongue Point, posing together on swings in Seaside. They wear matching bathing suits and sashes. Photographs from this series were published in the Oregon Journal on Sunday, July 29, 1951 (negative 21 of 37).