SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Miss Alabama’s longest running preliminary pageant is its moving dates.
For as long as Sylacauga Parks and Recreation director Jim Armstrong can remember, the Miss Sylacauga Pageant has been held just after the new year. But the 81st winner of the pageant will be crowned in June, just six months after the 80th winner, Caitlyn McTier, was crowned.
Armstrong said the change will help winners in their preparation for the Miss Alabama Pageant. He told SylacaugaNews.com contestants have two weeks after Miss Sylacauga before the first meeting with all contestants for Miss Alabama, which in his opinion is not enough. Now the winner swill have six months.
After Miss Sylacauga, winners must create a scrapbook covering their reign as Miss Sylacauga and all they have done since being crowned. Armstrong said the February date simply did not give the girls enough time to fulfill their duties to the best of their ability and fully prepare themselves, and in essence, put them behind the eight-ball when compared to the amount of time other preliminary winners had to prepare.
“This move will help the girls and give them the time they need to do the things they are required to complete for the Miss Alabama pageant,” he said. “This change will create a better cycle for the winners and help everyone, including the committee.”
This change will level the playing field and align Miss Sylacauga with many other Miss Alabama preliminary pageants. Miss Alabama is held in the beginning of June annually, and most preliminary pageants for the the next year’s Miss Alabama begin shortly after, Armstrong explained. The change may take time for those in the community to get accustomed to, but Armstrong said the pageant was held in the month of June in the 1950s.
The Miss Sylacauga Pageant is set for Sunday, June 25 in the Sylacauga High School Auditorium.
Jeremy Law for SylacaugaNews.com | © 2017, SylacaugaNews.com/Marble City Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
