ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

September’s Southwest Community Fiesta might seem like a long time away, but some on the board are keeping busy with preparations.

The Southwest Community Fiesta Pageant will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, and coordinators are looking for contestants for three categories: Little Miss, Teen, and Miss. Those interested in signing up can follow the QR code on the event’s flyer or contact Coordinator Clarissa Carrillo at (620) 417-4043.

Carillo said there is a lot to be excited about with this year’s festivities.

“We’re excited because this will be our third time hosting the pageant we are looking forward to everything because it’s going to be a great pageant and we love creating that space for the girls to develop those skills and learn from the experience,” Carrillo said. “When it comes to preparations, because we do want to create a space of learning, we are encouraging the girls to register so we can have at least a month of workshops and other work to get them ready for like the stage when it comes to not only just walking but also for the speaking parts and the interview portion and everything else.”

Carrillo said the pageant is a great way for local girls to try something new.

“Pageants are a neat experience, especially if you are hesitant to get out of your comfort zone, because it’s all about learning and trying something new,” Carrillo said. “Like I’ve said before, a lot of times, these girls think they need to come with a lot of experience, but we want to make this experience a space for learning. If you have a lot of pageant experience, or if this is your first pageant ever, it's a space for them to grow and learn. What motivates me and our volunteers to continue to host this pageant is when we start, the girls are a little more on the shy side, but once it comes to that day of the pageant, they’re practically glowing. It’s great seeing the girls evolve from how they started to that confident level on that day. That's one of the reasons why, as volunteers, we continue to push to have this event with us as a pageant so the girls gain that experience and confidence and knowledge, and it’s also  an overall neat experience of working with other girls.”

And for those who do want to participate, Carrillo offered encouragement to sign up sooner rather than later.

“I would definitely say the sooner the better is the best policy because it gives them that time to start preparing themselves mentally, and the extra time will allow the girls to take advantage of the workshops we’ll be offering, because there will be a lot of information and skills covered during all of that,” Carrillo said. “And as I always say, you do NOT have to have previous pageant experience in order to compete. We want to provide that first step that will help them get involved and get a taste of what it's actually like to participate in a pageant – if you've never been in a pageant, that's fine, and if you've competed in other pageants before and want to hone your skills, that's also great, because we want this to be as open as possible.”

With the pageant still somewhat new, Carrillo said she is excited to keep the tradition going.

“In the past for the pageant, I think it was more of a contest of who would raise the most funds, but we changed into the different direction of fellowship and creating that space for these girls, and I think that’s been a great change,” Carrillo said. “I know when we tried it again after the pandemic, we didn’t know if we wanted to go back to fundraising and have the winner be whoever raised the most funds, or if we wanted create that space for the girls to learn. It does require a lot of time from everyone, so it is a little harder in that respect, but like I said, the exciting part has been seeing the girls from how they start to the day of that event. And I'm sure I'm not the only one, but we all feel kind of like proud moms after everything is said and done. That's the rewarding part, but that's also the exciting part to be able to again have that space again for them this year. I'm especially excited to see the little ones, they're always so much fun to watch because they're so full of energy and happiness, and they always have a good time. That's the age group where everyone just really goes for it, and I think that's how it should be all around, because everyone should have a good time.”

Overall, Carrillo said, she hopes for another successful pageant.

“I know for a lot of young girls, they hear the word 'pageant' and immediately think 'I'm not pageant material,' so they're almost discouraging themselves. But pageants are more than just putting on heels and makeup and looking pretty, there's so much personal growth that happens, and the girls get to hone so many life skills while they're preparing for the pageant like public speaking and interview skills. It's about putting aside your fear and doing something for yourself,” Carrillo said. “Like every year, this pageant is open to everyone. Even though the pageant is part of our Southwest Community Fiesta, it's not limited to the Latino community – we want this to be a great experience for all girls in town. And we would also love to see some entries from towns in the surrounding area – I know a lot of pageants take place in the bigger cities that can require a long drive, but we'd love to see contestants from some of the surrounding towns so they can have that opportunity right in Southwest Kansas. And the great thing is the girls are always so encouraging and supportive of one another, there aren't really any rivalries like what you might see in the movies and on TV. If this is something you want to do, I say go for it.”