Participants pageant-ready

PORTALES — Local girls have been hard at work over the last month, raising money to support local holiday festivities and getting ready for the 2019 little miss merry christmas Pageant.

The pageant will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Yam Theatre and will feature the coronation ceremony for little miss merry christmas 2019.

There are 12 girls participating this year, more than double last year, but only one will be crowned little miss merry christmas. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be served after the ceremony.

The little miss merry christmas Pageant has been a Portales tradition for over 30 years, predating even the annual Christmas parade.

“We want all their friends, family and the community to come out. There’s plenty of room for the whole community over at the Yam,” said Karl Terry, executive director of the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce. “We’ll do a ceremony where we interview with each girl on stage and crown the winner. They’ll all receive sashes and gift bags for their efforts.”

Before the pageant, each of the participating girls goes out in the community and raises funds for the White Light program, which provides white holiday lights to businesses around Portales.

“It’s a program the Rotary Club started years ago and the ambassadors and little miss merry christmas all support it,” Terry said. “It takes a lot of money to support the program and the businesses are charged a small fee, but it’s mostly the pageant. It covers putting them up, turning them on and replacing any burned out bulbs or those damaged by hail.”

Each girl has a sponsor in town where they set up a donation jar and the girls can raise extra money by holding other events like silent auctions or car washes.

Whoever raises the most money is crowned little miss merry christmas, but all the participants will get a chance to go up on stage Thursday for an interview and the full pageant experience.

“It’s an opportunity for the younger girls to get involved in the community through fundraising efforts and getting in the Christmas spirit,” said Casey Peacock, a volunteer organizer for the event. “It’s one of our bigger pageants and it’s exciting to see so many girls step up and get involved.”

Things don’t end with the pageant though. The girls will have the opportunity to ride in the city’s Christmas parade on Friday night on the lead float.

“They’ll all get to ride together and lead the parade,” Terry said. “Little Miss Merry Christmas will have a throne of honor on the float and all the girls will get to ride along with her.”

Information: 575-356-2373