HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – A major aspect of the Western Kentucky State Fair is the pageants. Babies, toddlers, kids, teens, and adults are prepping their gowns and glitter for a competition that builds confidence, and meaningful relationships.

Melissa Henderson is a long-time coordinator of the Ms./Mrs. Western Kentucky State Fair portion of the pageant. Unlike the other categories, which has competitors often actively competing in pageant circuits, this group of women are often former pageant competitors, or mothers getting on stage for the first time.

“Being the Mrs. pageant, you have more mature ladies, they’re not just in it to win and move on to the next pageant,” said Henderson. “You get a night to dress up and just be you for a while, and not have a kid on your hip or hanging off your leg.”

She finds that majority of competitors are there to restore their confidence by putting themselves out there. For this category, contestants must be over the age of 22, and up until this year, the participating women had to be married. But rule changes across the state means that single, married, and widowed women can sign up.

Importance of relationships

Henderson told Christian County Now that she accidently married into the pageant world about 16 years ago while her husband was on the board for the state fair. In order to build friendships in the area, and fill up numbers in the pageant, she dipped her toes in the water and competed for a few years, ultimately deciding to be behind the scenes.

“I did it just to have fun, I never did it to win,” said Henderson about her time spent competing. “I went from being in the pageant to helping with the pageant, and then about five years ago I took up with the Mrs. pageant.”

To this day, her favorite thing about pageants is the wonderful, strong women she has encountered. She was initially unsure about continuing to coordinate the Ms./Mrs. pageant this year, actually giving up her duties in January after the death of her husband. Overwhelming support from the local pageant community drew her back in just weeks before the big day.

“I lost my husband two months ago and that’s why I gave up the pageant,” Henderson emotionally shared. “I’ve met some really strong women in doing this and a couple of them have really walked the walk with me.”

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Pageant day around the corner

Finding judges, organizing sponsors, and tracking down the right sashes, flowers, and prizes are just part of the stressors of planning for the impending pageants. Although each coordinator is focused on their own categories, Henderson said when the time comes, they help each other where they can.

Runways have to be set up and torn down between competitions, music has to be ready, kids have to tamed, and lights have to be right. With the help of her 13-year-old daughter and a large group of coordinators, she is confident they will be ready.

The infant, baby, and toddler pageants will take place on Saturday, June 22 starting at 10 a.m., with the Ms./Mrs. Western Kentucky State Fair at 5:30 p.m. and the Miss Western Kentucky State Fair pageant at 7:30 p.m.

The youth pageant is June 23 at 1 p.m., with Ms. Plus on June 24 at 7 p.m. Find a full schedule of events on the Western Kentucky State Fair website.