Four young women are vying for the crown of Miss Minden 2017.
Set for 7 p.m., Saturday, at the Minden Civic Center, one of these young women will represent Minden and will receive scholarships among other prizes. Tickets are $10 each and are available at Al-N-Way Cleaners, located at 410 Homer Rd., or they can be purchased at the door the night of the event.
Miss Louisiana 2016 Justine Ker will serve as master of ceremonies.
The four contestants are Abigail Reynolds, Eleanor Gilbert, Jordan Lary and Abby Baker.
Daphne Zeidan, Miss Minden public relations chair, said the event will be traditional with an added twist this year.
“We will have our traditional Miss Minden pageant with four contestants,” she said. “This year, we will be adding the Miss Minden Outstanding Teen to the production with three contestants.”
Paige McCoy Salas, director and past Miss Minden, said this year’s Miss Minden Outstanding Teen is the first for the Young Women’s Service Club and will be held alongside the Miss Minden pageant.
“The Outstanding Teen pageant is like a sister pageant to Miss Minden,” she said. “They have a Miss America Outstanding Teen, so the winner will compete at Miss Louisiana Outstanding Teen and then if she wins, she will go to the Miss America Outstanding Teen.”
Salas explained the purpose of the pageant is to prepare teens, ages 13 through 17, to compete in the Miss Minden pageant.
The categories in the Outstanding Teen pageant will mirror those of the Miss Minden pageant, which includes fitness, talent, on-stage question and evening gown.
The winner of the Miss Minden pageant will receive a $2,200 scholarship, with the first runner-up receiving $1,250. The Hannah McFarland cash prize of $100 will be awarded during the evening gown portion of the competition.
In the Miss Minden Outstanding Teen, the winner will receive a $250 wardrobe allowance to use in state competition. The awarded categories will be fitness and talent.
Contestants in the Miss Minden Outstanding Teen include Kinzie Ellington, Madeline Bethea and Anna Claire Lemoine.
Zeidan said each past Miss Minden will be recognized a little differently this year.
“We will be showcasing past Miss Minden’s during the pageant,” she said. “They will be introduced on stage with their name and year of crowning. We are looking forward to seeing them all together.”
Also new this year is a Snapchat filter for the duration of the pageant to get the audience involved.
Zeidan said the YWSC decided to forego a specific theme this year in favor of simple, classic decorations.
“We want to allow the contestants to have all the attention for their moment to shine,” she said.
