The Miss Clarendon Scholarship Pageant may be Saturday, but there's still time to sign-up and vie for the $500 scholarship and the Miss Clarendon crown, according to organizers.
The Miss Clarendon Crew that guided 2013 and 2014 Miss Clarendons Elizabeth Black and Hannah Henshaw, respectively, are in particular need of more ladies for the Miss category, which covers ladies between the ages of 17 and 24.
"Miss Clarendon is a preliminary pageant to Miss South Carolina and Miss America," said Henshaw. "I have been fortunate enough to be with the Clarendon group for the past two years, as a teen and miss. If it were not for the committee, I wouldn't have gone back."
C0-Local Executive Director Ericka Sexton Floyd said Miss Clarendon is "more than just a beauty pageant."
"It's so much more: These girls go through so much and do so much to prepare," Floyd said. "When you think about them preparing for an eight- and 10-minute interview with people who can ask them anything from what's their favorite foot to how they feel about homelessness and how they'd improve it, it's so much more than just wearing a pretty dress."
Henshaw agreed, telling The Manning Times earlier this year that one of the most challenging parts of her time as Miss Clarendon was keeping up with current events.
"When you're at state (Miss South Carolina) and they ask you a question about a current event, you can't just say, 'Oh, I don't know about that,' or 'I don't care about that,'" Henshaw said. "You have to be able to answer and answer like you know what you're talking about."
Floyd said the future Miss Clarendon, Clarendon Teen and Clarendon Pre-Teen - the latter a new category this year - also spend a lot of time in the community.
"There's a lot asked of these young ladies," Floyd said. "There's a lot of community service, and they mentor others and raise money for the Children's Miracle Network."
And Miss winners receive scholarships to "better their education and prepare them for the future," Floyd added.
Winners in the other categories win savings bond. All winners go on to compete at the state level.
"I know it's late notice," Henshaw wrote Sunday on Facebook. "But we would truly appreciate the participation. "The next Miss Clarendon will be well-prepared for state, will have a person by her side for each portion of the competition and, ultimately, will gain a family. Please take my word and trust that participating Saturday will be an amazing decision for you."
Entrance to the pageant requires a $100 donation to the Children's Miracle Network, according to state pageant rules.
For more information, call Floyd at (803) 460-4262.
