Local Girls Compete In State Cinderella Pageant

By CHARLENE PAUL

Moapa Valley Progress

The Nevada State Cinderella Pageant was held on Sunday, June 24 at the Texas Station in Las Vegas. Young women from all over the state who had won their local pageants or a local title in the preliminaries competed in several divisions throughout the weeklong competition. Three young women from Moapa Valley came away with awards.

Allie Bledsoe is the teen for Moapa Valley and competed against ten other contestants. Victoria Pray, of Logandale, is the teen over Pahrump and competed against fifteen other contestants. Amarissa Solis is the Miss for Virgin Valley and competed against fifteen other contestants.

The competition included Interview, two Modeling events, and Talent. The Modeling event included party-wear or long formal gowns for the teens, and casual-wear referred to as Texas Barbecue where the girls were a little more fancy than they would be at a regular cookout. There were parties and speeches and getting to know one another.

Allie Bledsoe sang “Castle on a Cloud” from Les Miserables for her talent. She won Second Alternate to Photogenic for the Teen Division.

Victoria Pray performed “The Tightrope” from The Greatest Showman for her talent. She won First Alternate for Cameo, First Alternate for Cover Girl, Best Souvenir, Top Five, Fourth Alternate in Top Five, and First Alternate for Beauty.

Amarissa Solis played the ukulele and sang for her talent. She won Second Alternate for Cover Girl for Misses, Top Five for Misses, and she won the Overall Title for Misses.

When asked about her experience in the Cinderella Pageant, Allie said, “It took me out of my comfort zone and taught me how to talk to people. It gave me the confidence to perform in front of others. I met some amazing friends and learned a lot about myself.”

Victoria said, “The highlight for me was probably getting to know the girls in all the divisions because these girls have come from all over Nevada. It was a lot of fun to spend time with them because there are some really great young ladies.”

She continued, “A preliminary director told me to always remember to wear my invisible crown. I walked away with a crown; you just can’t see it.”

Amarissa explained, “Cinderella means a lot to me, but crown or not, I am the same person, friendly, kind, and a hard worker. Winning is wonderful, but the things you learn and the friendships you make are the things that will stay with you from Cinderella forever.”

When asked about how it felt to win, she said, “I was definitely shocked when I won, and I know this year will be a lot of fun meeting people from all over Nevada, and it will go fast! I definitely can’t wait to spend this year with my sisters and represent Cinderella as the Overall Miss.”

Jacqulyn Pray has been the local Cinderella Pageant director for several years. She loves the pageant and all it represents.
“The biggest thing about the Pageant is that the girls learn so many things about how to handle themselves,” she said. “It makes them better. They walk differently, with confidence. This Pageant isn’t about the glitz and glamour; it is all about building self-esteem and youth development. Watching the girls grow is amazing.”

Assistant Director, Vanessa Solis echoes that sentiment, “It has been a privilege to be a part of a program that focuses on building girls’ confidence in public speaking, interview skills, poise, and creating lifetime friendships.”

For those who haven’t yet purchased your Safe and Sane Fireworks, Jacqulyn and other members of the Cinderella community are selling them at a booth in the Mesquite WalMart parking lot. They will be there on July 4 until midnight. All proceeds go to supporting the local Pageant winners when they travel to Texas at the end of the month to compete in the National Cinderella Pageant.