The Saturday after the pageant was
quite a whirlwind! It was an early morning due to the parade and a surprisingly
cold one! Stepping outside that morning I was extremely thankful I had thought
to pack a jacket but when I got to the parade, several of the little sisters
(who I had the pleasure of joining in the parade) did not have jackets! While
we all stood around shivering and chatting in the cold I remembered that I had
a blanket in my car. I ran to get it and we all huddled and cuddled for warmth!
Pretty
soon it was time to set up for the parade and we were joined by our drivers for
the parade and the other queens. We got the pleasure of riding in a little
yellow dune buggy that was absolutely adorable and I even got to “drive” it!
While waiting, I also met some of the kind Spady men and a relative of Edwin
Perkins!
The Spady Men :)
It was great to spend the morning with Miss Nebraska and the little sisters!
As much as we tease each other, I genuinely love this girl and am so proud to call her Miss Nebraska! We couldn't ask for a better representative and I couldn't imagine a better (former) sister queen!
By
about 9 o’ clock the parade was beginning and luckily it had been warming up! We
started out squeezed in the back of the Dune Buggy and waving to our adoring
fans (personally I think everyone just wanted to see the girls! J). It was great having
the girls with me to make sure we greeted everyone but what made me feel even
more blessed and touched was the reaction from the people of Hastings. Along
the parade route there were the normal adorable kids and friendly smiles that
always make my day but there were also cheers, clapping, people saying my name,
telling me they had seen me and wanted me to win, and so many congratulations.
The people of the town once again amazed me through their willingness to take me
in and love me as one of their own. I felt so happy, so valued, and
so blessed to have had these people touch my life. It was certainly a highlight
of the weekend! Plus, I appreciated Annie (our emcee from the pageant)
explaining to everyone how my batons flew into the rafters during talent and
yet I still managed to catch them! She certainly made quite a few of us laugh
and I even heard a few “ohhh’s”!
These girls were my little sisters during the pageant and I got to join them for the parade!
One of my little sisters - she was a natural as she waved to the crowd and smiled big!
The ride was so cozy and incredibly fun!
At the
end of the parade Mariah and I made a beeline over to the auditorium and
Kool-Aid Days grounds where the Kool-Aid festivities had already begun! First
up on our agenda was supposed to be the pouring of the first official glass of
Kool-Aid which had been promised to us both. When we couldn’t find the
scheduled event, we grabbed a photographer and headed to the Kool-Aid stand and
started pouring. While they had already poured at least 500 glasses, we got a
photo pouring the first “official” glass and officially beginning the
festivities! We were kindly rewarded for our efforts with Kool-Aid mugs and all
the Kool-Aid we could handle for the day! Up until this point I had only had
minimal amounts of Kool-Aid and while they told me there would be a lot of
Kool-Aid drinking on Saturday, I was not nearly prepared for all of it!
As much as we tease - we really can share pretty well!
Kool-Aid!
I got
to mingle for a bit and then it was time
for registration and the beginning of the “Cute Kid Contest.” There certainly
were plenty of cute kids around to chat with and take pictures with. As I was
being completely oblivious and enjoying the company of all of these little kids
(what can I say – as a future educator I love kids!), Susan approached me with
a small sheet of paper containing information about a presentation for the Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and asked me to run up to the stage to introduce
them. While I am used to twirling in front of hundreds and sometimes thousands
of individuals, I can get on stage in a bikini, and I love onstage questions
and introductions, I get a little nervous having to be onstage, talking to
others and I was terrified to go introduce the people of the Blue Cross Blue
Shield. I went up on stage, introduced the group (forgot to introduce and talk
about myself as Susan had suggested), and quickly left the stage. I gave myself
a small pat on the back for doing decently well and went back to hanging out
and meeting cute kids. Soon enough Susan came back with no information sheet
this time but with a singer she wanted me to introduce. After jotting some
notes I ran back onto stage, introduced myself this time, and introduced the
singer.
This little girl was one of my best friends during the weekend...she followed me around for awhile chatting and holding my hand and she even jumped into my arms onstage during the contest! I couldn't have been happier :)
This little girl won photogenic last year - what a cutie!
It was
finally time for the Cute Kid Contest where Susan had asked me to stand on
stage with the kids for photo opportunities. It was amazing seeing the way some
of these kids took so naturally to the stage and hammed things up. I’m really
not sure that I would have been able to do that as well as some of those kids
at that age! While I enjoyed my time with all of these cute kids, I had gone
from having about 3 glasses of Kool-Aid in the morning to losing my Kool-Aid
mug until the contest was over. As I was standing onstage the sugar began
wearing off and I experienced the inevitable Kool-Aid crash and started feeling
pretty sleepy! Needless to say, I kept my Kool-Aid mug pretty close to me the
rest of the day!
I am so happy I didn't have to judge this event - there were so many adorable kids that I wouldn't have been able to pick one winner!
Some of the award winners - they seriously made me smile! :)
Too cute for words! :)
Note the Kool-Aid mug still in hand :)
I took
a small break for lunch and judging the photogenic contest but it was
interrupted when I was asked to introduce Smoky B and the XYZ’s. Feeling a
little more comfortable with the stage now I rushed out to introduce the band
and quickly went back to lunch. Before long it was time to announce the results
of the Cute Kid Contests and let me tell you – it was great practice for my
future as a teacher - There were some difficult names to pronounce! The kids
were just excited to hear their names though and it was great to see how happy
they were!
The afternoon
activities began to die down and there was only one major event left at the
grounds – the Quick Kool-Aid Drinking finals! Susan had asked me to emcee and I
didn’t think anything of it considering I have seen countless people going
through the script and later emceeing the pageant at competitions. It was only
when Susan said to get up on stage and fill time that I realized I was in this
on my own – no script or co-emcee, just me, my voice, and my imagination!
It
might seem like as a pageant girl I should have all of these wonderfully
touching and humorous stories to share with the audience at a moments notice,
but sometimes, when you go up on stage and unexpectedly have to share things,
those stories seem to gravitate back into storage. With a crowd that was less
than enthused about the events on stage, I felt like I struggled a little bit
at first. As soon as I started really addressing them and pulling them into the festivities, the
audience opened up and ate the show up! I was able to share stories with them,
ask questions, and even invite a few individuals up on stage to talk to me! I
had a blast and enjoyed watching kids of all ages drink Kool-Aid in mere
seconds!
After
the contest I had the opportunity to invite Smoky B and the XYZ’s back up to
the stage. They were moving slowly and I had to fill time so I offered to share
my drumming skills (the two things I can play) with the crowd. They loved it
and Smoky even offered me a job as the band drummer!
It was
great to go back to the hotel to rest for a bit but it was soon off to the
concert for the evening! I joined the kids on the playground for a little bit
as we waited for the band to arrive and then I got to introduce the band and
start the concert! I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with one of my
judges, Kent Boughton! I was touched when Kent told me that he had no doubt I
was the perfect choice for Miss Kool-Aid Days (as did the other judges) and he
went on to tell me he simply wrote “wow” on my score sheet! If that doesn’t
boost your confidence and ensure you that you are doing what you need to do and
doing it well, nothing will! I was further shocked though when he shared this
information with the audience! I truly appreciate Kent, his support, and his
phenomenal work at NTV and beyond!
One of the Cute Kid Contest winners who I got to announce at the concert!
If this picture doesn't melt your heart, you must be a grinch! What a cutie!
Future co-anchors!=)
On our
way over to get some Kool-Aid for the evening we ran into one of Kent’s
co-workers. She complimented me about my ease on stage saying I was a natural
and commenting that I should work at NTV or on TV at least! It turns out many
people complimented my poise and ease on stage to several of the board members! I finished out my duties for
the night, meeting more people, enjoying the music, and relaxing a bit and I got
another compliment about how well I fit in and conducted/dressed myself
appropriately no matter what the occasion.
The band, The Last Men on Earth! They did an amazing job and played music from many decades and genres!
Our idea of a silly picture :)
Needless
to say I once again collapsed into bed on Saturday night and slept like a rock!
It was so unbelievable that my time in Hastings was nearly at an end!
