Winterfest adds Little Miss Winterfest pageant

There will be tiaras at Blowing Rock’s Winterfest in January.

It was announced this week that Blowing Rock’s Winterfest 2012 will feature the first Little Miss Winterfest and Little Master Winterfest competition at the Blowing Rock School Auditorium.

The event will take place on Saturday, Jan. 21, and proceeds from the event will go to Blowing Rock C.A.R.E.S. (Children Are Really Extra Special).

Registration takes place at 10 a.m. and the competition will begin at 11:30 a.m. The crowning ceremony takes place at 3 p.m.

The competition is presented by the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce and Little Miss and Teen Miss North Carolina.

“We will be holding the pageant the Saturday before Winterfest, so that the winners will be able to return the next week with their crowns and meet with people at all of the Winterfest events,” said Carolyn Marley, organizer of the Little Miss and Little Master Winterfest pageant.

The crowns have been specially ordered and all of them feature a snowflake design.

Marley and her husband, Larry, were the directors of “America’s Cover Miss” and “America’s Cover Boy” for 16 years. That event attracted contestants from four Southeastern states.

Last year, the couple purchased the rights to the “Little Miss North Carolina” and “Teen Miss North Carolina” pageants.

According to Marley, contestants in the Little Miss Winterfest competition will automatically qualify for the Little Miss North Carolina and Teen Miss North Carolina pageants, to be held in Lenoir July 12-15, 2012.

The Little Miss Winterfest pageant is open to all girls ages birth through 18. There are eight divisions: Baby Miss (birth-11 months), Toddler Miss (12-23 months), Miniature Miss (2-3 years), Tiny Miss (4-6 years), Little Miss (7-9 years), Junior Miss (10-12 years), Young Miss (13-15 years) and Teen Miss (16-18 years).

The Little Master Winterfest pageant features two age divisions: Toddler Mister (birth-2 years) and Tiny Mister (3-5 years).

Age division title winners will receive a custom crown, banner and designer trophy. The grand majestic winner of the pageant will also receive a $50 savings bond, sponsored by the United Community Bank of Blowing Rock.

In addition to the division title winners, there will also be winners in several special optional competitions, including “Best Personality,” “Best Fashion,” “Best Smile,” “Most Photogenic” and “Talent.”

The required competitions for age division titles are “Beauty” and “Winterwear.”

“Since this is Blowing Rock and this will be held in January as part of Winterfest, we thought it would be fun to have a winter-wear competition,” said Marley. “They can wear sweaters, scarves, fur-trimmed jackets or their ski outfits if they like. Anything that’s fun and warm.”

Marley said that the pageant was open to children and teenagers from Watauga, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell and other area counties.

“We understand that Blowing Rock and Winterfest attract a lot of visitors from other places, so we are accepting contestants from everywhere,” Marley said. “We also understand that Boone and Blowing Rock are not necessarily pageant territory, but we want them to know that this is more than just a pageant, it is a way to help Blowing Rock C.A.R.E.S. The motto of the pageant is ‘Children Helping Children.’”

Blowing Rock C.A.R.E.S. is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2009 and maintains a food pantry and clothes closet for underprivileged children in Watauga County. It is an organization whose mission is to help families in the greater Blowing Rock area who are in need with food, non-perishable items and clothing.

For more information on the Little Miss and Little Master Winterfest competitions, call Carolyn Marley at (828) 295-3880.