A new queen will be crowned on Saturday afternoon as Miss Watauga Valley 2016 Madeline Grace Hubbard will pass the torch to her successor.
The 2017 Miss Watauga Valley Scholarship Pageant will be held Saturday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m. in the auditorium at T.A. Dugger Junior High School.
In addition to a new Miss Watauga Valley, a new Miss Watauga Valley Teen Princess will also be crowned.
“Both of them have an interview. The Miss competes in swimsuit and the Teen Princess competes in fitness and lifestyle,” said Linda Adams, director of the pageant, regarding the pageant sections. “Both of them compete in evening gown. The Miss competes in talent while the Teen Princess does not.”
The theme for this year’s pageant will be to honor breast cancer fighters and survivors.
“I am a breast cancer survivor of one year,” Adams said adding individuals involved with the pageant know others in the community who have been impacted by the disease. “We decided to do it since it is October and that is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”
The pageant on Saturday will feature Hubbard as well as the 2016 Miss Watauga Valley Teen Princess Augusta Rentenbach and Miss Watauga Valley Iris Princess Kaylen Simerly. The Iris Princess is appointed by the pageant committee to attend events with the reigning Miss Watauga Valley. For 2017 the committee once again selected Simerly to serve as the Iris Princess.
Also appearing at the pageant will be Brittany Kyte Whitson, who held the Miss Watauga Valley title twice — first in 2010 and then again in 2013. Whitson will serve as the emcee for the pageant as well as performing as entertainment.
On Saturday six contestants will vye for the title of Miss Watauga Valley 2017: Shayla Sanderson, Whitney Shelton, Chloe Hubbard, Morgan Munsey, Peyton Wilson and Brittany Davis. Three young ladies will compete for the title of Miss Watauga Valley Teen Princess 2017: Peyton Jones, Maggie Sturm and Lana Broyles.
Tickets to the pageant are $10 for ages 13 and up and $5 for children age 6 through 12. Breast cancer fighters and survivors, Miss America Organization queens and directors, and children age 5 and under will be admitted for free.
Tickets are available for purchase at the event. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m. and the pageant will begin at 3 p.m.
Adams said attendees are encouraged to wear pink to show their support of Breast Cancer Awareness.