PERU — Several teams with the River Valley Relay For Life group will host a pageant for children from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at Dirigo Elementary School, volunteer Diane Mitchell said.
“We’ve relied on a lot of the typical fundraiser things to raise money, but with the pageant, the different groups of the River Valley Relay For Life team are working more as a group,” Mitchell said.
The idea came from a suggestion by Laurie Glover of the team Abbie’s Avengers.
“Laurie loves collecting dresses, and she told us that she would love for the dresses to go to a good use,” Mitchell said. “At a certain point, she suggested that we hold a children’s pageant to get kids excited. However, she said she wasn’t sure how to pull it together.”
Mitchell said the entire River Valley Relay For Life group agreed to organize a pageant. It will include three age categories for boys and girls: 2-4, 5-9 and 10-12. The entry fee for the first child is $10, and $5 for each additional child in a family.
“Kids can register at Davis Florist or send an e-mail or Facebook message to them,” Mitchell said. “There are also application forms at Dirigo Elementary School, and kids can reach out to any of the team members involved with the River Valley Relay For Life to apply.”
Contestants will be judged in dress-up, talent and interview.
“We called the first category ‘dress-up’ instead of fashion, because we didn’t want kids to feel like they needed to buy the nicest dresses or clothes out there,” Mitchell said. “If someone wants to dress up in their sports outfit, they can. We’re not strict about it.”
She said she’s looking forward to the interview portion of the pageant.
“It’s always fun to hear how they answer questions,” she said. “It’s more fun than anything. There are no wrong answers.”
The pageant will be judged by Miss Maine, Audrey Thames; former Miss Maine, Stephanie Jakes; and Patty Brown.
“Every child will go home with something,” Mitchell said. “No child will go home feeling like they didn’t succeed or missed out. We have a number of different categories, such as ‘prettiest eyes,’ ‘best hair’ and ‘cutest smile.’ There’s something for everyone.”
For more information, call Mitchell at 357-8621.
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