Kids 'shining stars' in Good Old Days pageant
LITTLE MISS and Mister Good Old Days Pageant contestant Mylee Udall, 5, waves at the judges during the competition last week.
PICTURED LEFT to right are Aubrey Gonzalez, Mylee Udall and Gideon Gainan during The Little Miss and Mister Good Old Days Pageant Friday, July 20. (Photos by Ashley Fox/Lake County Leader)
LAST WEEK marked the sixth annual Little Miss and Mister Good Old Days Pageant held at St. Ignatius Elementary School, organized by the Thompson family.
Standing with her “entourage,” 5-year-old Mylee Udall appeared relaxed before she went on stage.
Udall, of St. Ignatius, competed for the fourth year in The Little Miss and Mister Good Old Days pageant, held at St. Ignatius Elementary last Friday.
She said she’s won twice before, and this year, she took the Beauty Supreme title.
Cheering her on were her mother, Staci, family friend Tara, and aunt Merri Lou.
Staci said Mylee decided to participate in the pageant “last minute,” so there was “a lot of scrambling” to get outfits ready for the day, which included a white dress and blue sash and a pink dress with white polka dots.
In her spare time, Udall enjoys performing gymnastics, particulary working on her flip technique. At home, she plays with her doll, Pinky, and she’s gearing up for Kindergarten this fall, where she’ll carry her new full-size backpack.
The Little Miss and Mister Good Old Days Pageant began in 2013, after organizer and pageant director Pam Thompson and her family decided that something needed to be added to the Good Old Days schedule.
“We wanted (the pageant) to be part of the Good Old Days celebration, to bring people into the businesses,” Thompson said.
THE THOMPSONS, who moved to Montana from Arkansas in 2005, noticed there weren’t pageants offered in the area.
Offering an alternative to staying inside using electronics or becoming involved in activity that could later get children in trouble, Thompson explained that the pageant was a way to help show kids new ways to become invovled in their community.
The first year saw 22 kids, and each year the number of contestants has grown.
Husband Daniel and their five children build the stage, register contestants and help get the children ready among other jobs, as well as regular volunteers who help out.
Kicking off the start of the program are kids ages 0-6, followed by the 7-12 age group and finished by teenagers.
A talent is not performed for the youngest participants, but the other age groups do share a skill, Thompson said.
The crowning of the winner of the oldest age group is done at the St. Ignatius ampitheater, usually at 7 p.m. that day. “We wanted to integrate (the pageant) into a community thing,” Thompson said.
During the last five years, the theme has been “Americana,” but this year, Thompson said that the theme was 1950s, with next year focusing on another decade.
Thompson said that after this year’s pageant, she was applying for an official nonprofit status.
Going forward, the Thompson family is hoping to grow the pageant, eventually offering scholarships.
Next year, the family is hopeful that all participants will be able to receive school supplies, donated by businesses and community members.
Contestants from around western Montana participate in the pageant, which Thompson said is partly how friendships are formed among the pageant circuit.
On hand to help judge this year’s competition were the new reigning Mrs. Montana Rebecca Mapston, along with Mrs. Zootown Montana Breanna Caras, and Mrs. Flathead LakeRebekka Ash, while the emcee was Cindy Archer.