Does Miss Illinois Pick Cubs or Sox? Deep Dish or Tavern-Style?

When Kate Dimmett was Miss Chicago, we guaranteed she would be the next Miss Illinois weeks before she competed. With Miss America 2026 coming up on September 6, we are now predicting that Miss Illinois will be your winner.

Miss Illinois Preps for Miss America with Music, Service, and a National Mission

Miss Illinois 2026 Kate Dimmett is balancing pageant preparation with a mission that has already impacted thousands of students across the country.

Dimmett will represent Illinois during the Miss America competition over Labor Day weekend in West Palm Beach, Florida.

While she's preparing for every aspect of the national competition, she says the biggest part of her preparation isn't rehearsing on stage, but continuing the work she's already doing as Miss Illinois.

Building Opportunities Beyond The Crown

Long before earning the Miss Illinois title, Kate and her sister launched the nonprofit Notable Measures when she was just 13 years old. Since then, the organization has raised nearly $100,000 for youth music education, awarded more than 180 grants, and impacted over 52,000 students nationwide.

She hopes to expand that impact even further if she's crowned Miss America. One of her biggest goals is creating Notable Measures chapters across the country, giving students leadership opportunities while helping raise money for music education in their own communities.

Dimmett says her success has been shaped by mentors and people who opened doors for her, and she now feels a responsibility to create those same opportunities for the next generation.

Advocating for Music Education

Music education remains at the heart of Kate Dimmett's platform. She believes every child deserves equal access to music programs and says the benefits go far beyond learning an instrument.

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According to Dimmett, music helps improve graduation rates, academic performance, leadership skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging. She hopes to see music education become a greater priority in classrooms through increased funding and expanded access nationwide.

A New Performance Awaits

Dimmett wowed judges during the Miss Illinois competition with a violin performance of Phantom of the Opera. For Miss America, she'll once again showcase her violin talents but says we can expect an entirely different musical selection, which she'll reveal closer to the competition.

Full disclosure: When I used to breakdance as a kid, Kate's mom taught me how to do the moonwalk back in the 80s.  So I encouraged her to integrate some breakdancing into her violin performance during the national competition.

She sarcastically said, "Yeah, I'm working on it now. Actually, breakdancing, tapdancing, moonwalking, all of the above."

Miss Illinois Shows Off Her Fun Side with 'Fast Five'

During an appearance with the Q Morning Crew, Johnny V. and Lil' Zim gave Miss Illinois their rapid-fire Fast Five questions, with five seconds or less to respond to each one.

• Deep Dish or Tavern-Style Pizza?
  • Miss Illinois: "Deep dish"
• Cubs or White Sox?
  • Miss Illinois: "Cubs"
• Michael Jordan or Abraham Lincoln?
  • Miss Illinois: "Michael Jordan"
• Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?
  • Miss Illinois: "Anything with coffee"
• Would You Serve as Interim Mayor of Rockford?
  • Miss Illinois: "For sure! I'll be the personality hire."