All-American Girl Pageant returns News Staff Tue, 02/06/2024 - 3:24 pm
- (ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Kodie Gough was crowned the 2021 All-American Girl during the last All-American Girl Pageant held at Memorial Auditorium. The event will return this year with a one-day event held Saturday, Feb. 24.
- (ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Contestants in the 2021 All-American Girl Pageant introduce themselves to the audience before the talent portion of the event. The pageant this year has moved to a one-day event which will be held Saturday, Feb. 24.
Thomas Wallner editor@grahamleader.com
After celebrating its 50th year in 2021, the All-American Girl Pageant will make a return to showcase local high school talent and serve as the GHS Thespian Society and Theatre Department fundraiser.
Since 1971, the pageant has been a tradition for Graham, with 18 students participating in the 2021 event where Kodie Gough was crowned All-American Girl. GHS Theatre teacher Katie Huitt said the pageant is a great opportunity for the participating students.
“It’s always really rewarding and it’s always a great fundraiser for our department. So we really love the opportunity that it gives (the participants) also to just to find a special moment where you get to present something that you don’t need anybody else for. It’s just relying on yourself and relying on your own power and your own voice,” she said.
The signup period for the students was ongoing last week so a list of participants was not available. Huitt said traditionally the pageant draws in students from all walks of life.
“Some of them are basketball players or volleyball players and they are kids that don’t necessarily plug into the theater world,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity and experience for different people from different groups and different cliques, that don’t usually overlap a lot, to get opportunities to build friendships and to work together to do this together.”
A silent auction will be held alongside the event to help raise funding for the theater program and students.
“All of the money that we raise from the pageant goes towards our theater department activity fund and that also helps to fund scholarships for graduating thespians at the end of the year,” Huitt said.
What has traditionally been a two-day event this year will be merged into one day, with participants meeting the judges the morning of Saturday, Feb. 24.
“Each one of our young ladies will take an opportunity to meet with them and visit with them so they can understand who they are and what they care about, really what makes them click,” Huitt said. “Then we’ll all go to the Memorial Auditorium in the afternoon and we’ll have a full rehearsal run through so we will work that whole afternoon putting all of the pieces together for the evening.”
During the evening the participants will perform their talents which is where the pageant will open to the public at 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium.
“Whether it’s a song, or a dance, or a monologue, or a skit, or whatever their individual solo talent is, they’ll prepare that and they’ll present that to everybody in the auditorium Saturday night,” Huitt said. “Then at intermission, they’ll go and change into their formal wear and then we’ll have the formal part of the portion after intermission. Then they’ll be crowned at the end of the night.”
The event will be emceed by GHS Thespian Society President Sara Peyton Dospapas and Vice President Rylee Ranger. Huitt said the entire production is put on by those with the Thespian Society.
“Our stage manager, our lighting and sound crew, all of our running crew, the escorts, the ushers and basically everybody that’s in charge of helping put this together is part of our Thespian Society, and they’re really excited about it and they are really committed,” she said.
There will be a historical connection to the pageant with the judges this year. The judges will be Jack Cody, Bronwen Choate and Connie Carrey.
“Connie Carrey was the first ever all American girl that was ever crowned. Mr. Cody and Mrs. Choate came up with the idea for the pageant together. So the original founders, basically, of this pageant are all involved in the judging this year and I think that is so exciting,” Huitt said. “It’s such a cool opportunity for us to come full circle in a really neat way.”
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