“One day I’d like to be in the Miss Colorado pageant, but not for a few years.
“I just wanted to see what it would be like,” Abigail said. One swipe of brown mascara and she was ready for the formal wear competition. On Saturday, she stood in a pair of her mother’s black pump heels wearing the orange dress while her mother put the finishing touches on a few of her curls. Several years ago, Abigail had bought an orange dress adorned with silver stars and never had a chance to wear it. She paused a few times, but she did really good.” But she didn’t stutter at all when they asked her questions. “I was a little nervous when she was up there,” Carlson said of her daughter, Abigail. Tracy Carlson said she competed in a pageant as a young girl and thought it would be good for her daughter’s self-esteem to give Miss Yampa Valley a try. The first Miss Yampa Valley beauty pageant was “all natural,” meaning girls under age 12 are not allowed to wear make up, while teenagers only wear light, natural looks.įor a few of the girls, it was their first pageant experience. There were few preparations for most of the girls - the pageant focused on allowing the girls’ natural beauty to shine through. In a classroom-turned-dressing room, girls calmly donned their formal wear for pictures and chatted with one another as their mothers put the final touches on their soft curls. “But it’s all about the skills they’ll use for the rest of their life.”Įarly Saturday evening, the girls and their parents returned from a break to begin preparing for the finale, which included the group dance number, a formal wear competition and the talent portion.
“When people think pageant, they really have the wrong idea,” she said, as she snapped pictures of girls getting their hair done by doting mothers. Tonya Herring, one of the event organizers, said most people tend to lump all beauty pageants into one category. The event was put on by two mothers who have extensive experience with their own daughters at pageants across the country and wanted to bring the opportunity to the Craig community. Throughout the day Saturday, the girls were judged on their poise, confidence and dedication to their community during the first Miss Yampa Valley Pageant. Just nine local girls in white shirts and jeans, performing their group dance number to “I Just Can’t Wait to be King,” from the Lion King in the gymnasium at Ridgeview Elementary School. There were no swimsuit modeling, diamond tiaras or fierce competition.