Twenty local little girls participated in the first Miss Pioneer Way Pageant July 4 at the Whidbey Playhouse, packing the house with friends and family.
The 2016 Miss Pioneer Way winners are in the Young Division: first, Alexandra Powers (9, Oak Harbor) and second, Morgan Wilkins (9, Oak Harbor); in the Little Division, first, Samantha Crossley (7, Oak Harbor) and second, Mya Cato (8, Everett); and in the Mini Division, first, Cassandra Powers (5, Oak Harbor) and second, Gracie Carpenter (6, Oak Harbor).
Amaiya Curry received “Most Patriotic” award for her red, white and blue dress and Gloria Plumly received “Most Memorable” after charming the audience “with her disarming smile and outgoing personality.”
The award winners received sashes and crowns and rode on the float with the Miss Oak Harbor Royalty in the Fourth of July parade.
The pageant was organized by Jes Walker-Wyse, a branch manager at Peoples Bank, who also started the Miss Oak Harbor Scholarship Pageant last year. After the success of that event, she said she heard from people who wanted a pageant for younger girls. The pageants, she said, are not about looks but about developing self confidence and poise under pressure. As a young woman, pageants helped shape Walker-Wyse into a successful adult.
The pageant began with a rehearsal, in which contestants received some training from Miss Oak Harbor Royalty on how to walk on stage, make an introduction and answer interview questions. The girls also practiced a dance routine to “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
“It was a lot to throw at these young girls, but they did a brilliant job putting it all together,” Walker-Wyse said. “The experience of being on stage in front of an audience was a first for many of them.”
What set the winners apart were poise, confidence and connection with the audience, she said.
Walker-Wyse’s nonprofit Pageant Wyse and the Miss Oak Harbor Royalty adopted Hand-in-Hand Preschool in Oak Harbor as the recipient of a service project. They plan to raise money to build an inclusive playground.
