The Miss Caldwell County Black Patch Pageant will be held Friday, Sept. 3, beginning at 7 p.m. at the high school Fine Arts Building.
According to Tina Ziobro, owner of Ziobro Wedding and Formals and sponsor for the event, the winner will go on to compete for the title Miss Kentucky County Fair in January.
“We are excited to offer these girls the chance to go on and compete at the state level,” said Ziobro, adding that last year’s local winner, Alaina Boyd, competed with over 90 girls from across the state at the Miss Kentucky County Fair pageant.
“It was an awesome learning experience,” said Boyd, referring to her two-day competition in Louisville. “I think my experience there really helped with my speaking skills and building my confidence level.”
Boyd said on the state level she went through an interview portion of competition where each judge asked her “all kinds of different questions.”
“Tina (Ziobro) worked with me a lot on the interview part because that was a little different from what I experienced with local pageants,” said Boyd.
Another difference she experienced was the swimsuit competition.
“We compete in sportswear around here, so it was kind of weird wearing a bathing suit in front of a couple hundred people,” said Boyd.
While she did not place in the top 15 in the state, Boyd said her pageant experience on the state level was “one of the best experiences” she has had.
“I think I had more fun than anything else I have done and I learned a lot from it,” she said. “For two days, I was with girls from across the state. Even though I was younger than most, we all became friends and tried to help each other.
“I would recommend it to anyone.”
The Miss Caldwell County Black Patch Pageant is open to girls 16 years old (applicants must reach age 16 by Oct. 31) to 21 years old (cannot have reached age 22 by Oct. 31). Girls from Caldwell and surrounding counties are eligible.
Ziobro said applicants will compete in both sportswear and evening gown competitions. A $40 entry fee will be charged to each contestant.
A brief practice will be conducted at 5 p.m. at the Fine Arts Building the evening of the pageant.
Applications may be picked up at Ziobro’s on Legion Drive Monday through Friday 3 to 7:30 p.m. or Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The deadline for entry is Sept. 1.
“We really hope everyone is the county comes out to support these girls in the pageant,” said Ziobro.
Ziobro said winners in the Caldwell County Historical Society-sponsored pageants, Black Patch Princess and Junior Miss Black Patch, are also eligible to compete on the state level in October.
Last year’s Junior Miss Black Patch winner Katrina Giannini said her experiences competing on the state level were unforgettable.
“I competed with 84 girls,” she said. “The judges there were looking at more than just your outward appearance. They wanted to see you poised and confident in everything — how you walked, how you answered questions in an interview.”
Giannini said she met some wonderful girls from across the state and hopes to be able to compete again on the state level in the near future.
The Caldwell County Historical Society will host its pageants Tuesday, Sept. 7, at Butler Auditorium. For more information, call 365-3959.
