Organizers of a local pageant have put out a call for entrants. The 2015 Miss Oak Leaf Festival and Miss Bridge Day Pageant will be held Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015 at 4 PM in Oak Hill, and at this time there have been no entries according to Kristi Atha-Rader, pageant director.
The pageant has a Teen Division (ages 13-16), Miss Division (ages 16-21), and Mrs. Division (ages 21 and older and married). If there is interest, a Ms division for women ages 22 and older will be added. There will be a children’s pageant as well on Sunday, August 30, Atha-Rader said. The Bridge Day titles are open to statewide entries, but Oak Leaf Festival titles are open only to Fayette and surrounding counties.
Held in conjunction with the annual Oak Leaf Festival, the pageants offer one of the lowest pageant entry fees in the state, the director said.
Winners from pageants in the last few years have gone on to win the titles of Miss West Virginia International, Miss Teen West Virginia International, Mrs. West Virginia International, Mrs. West Virginia America, Miss West Virginia United States, and Today’s American Miss. Other Oak Leaf/Bridge Day pageant winners from past years have gone on to win the titles of Miss Teen WV United States, Miss West Virginia America, Miss West Virginia All American, have been top 5 placing in the Mrs. WV United States pageant, top 5 placing in the Mrs. WV America pageant, top 5 placing in the Miss WV United States pageant, and top 5 and top 15 placing in the WV Fairs and Festivals Association Pageant. “Our track record for producing top placing contestants in other pageant systems speaks for itself,” said Atha-Rader. “Our producer and assistant director, Angela Pannell, and I have been involved in pageantry for many years and have each held several titles so we have a good idea of what judges and other pageants are looking for to help prepare others to compete.”
Competition divisions are 16 to 21 years (contestant may not turn 22 before Jan. 1, 2016) for the Miss Oak Leaf Festival and Miss Bridge Day competitions, 13 to 16 years for the teen division, and 21 or older and married for the Mrs. division.
Areas of competition for the pageants are:
* Personal interview — This will be an interview offstage with a panel of experienced judges.
* Sense of style wear — This is any outfit or dress that shows off your personal style. Many people use a nice cocktail dress for this category.
* Evening gown — The evening gown should be something that you feel comfortable wearing and that looks great on you.
* On-stage question — This will be the final phase of competition for the Miss and Mrs. division. There is no on-stage question in the teen division.
Entry fee for the pageant is $75 and entry deadline is Aug. 20. Entry forms are available at www.missoakleaffestival.com and www.oakleaffestival.com.
In 2012, the pageant added the local Miss West Virginia America pageant titles for Miss Southern West Virginia and Miss Southern WV’s Outstanding Teen. These winners go on to compete at the Miss West Virginia America Pageant for the chance to compete in Atlantic City at the Miss America Pageant. Since their addition, the Southern West Virginia titleholders have been very successful with Miranda Harrison and Paige Madden being crowned Miss West Virginia, Hilary Kinney being named in the top 12 at Miss West Virginia, June Braunlich being crowned Miss West Virginia’s Outstanding Teen, and Kristin Falconi and Krystian Leonard being named 2nd runner up. This title requires the performance of a talent, and the deadline to enter is August 20. Contact Kristi Atha-Rader for more information at 304-228-7129 or go to www.missoakleaffestival.com.
The Oak Leaf Festival/Bridge Day/Southern WV pageants will be held Saturday, Aug. 29 at 4 p.m. in Oak Hill High School Auditorium, Oak Hill. For more information, contact Atha-Rader at 304-228-7129, e-mail KAtha17@aol.com, visit the web site at www.missoakleaffestival.com, or find us on Facebook.
The Oak Leaf Festival Children’s Pageant and Fayette County Princess pageant, set for Sunday, Aug. 30 at 2 p.m., is open to girls ages 0 to 10 and boys ages 0-5. Children will compete in an outfit using fall colors or a fall theme. Hair and make-up must be age appropriate.
Entry fee is $75 and entry deadline is August 26. Entry forms for both pageants are available at www.missoakleaffestival.com.