When Morgan Youngdale started the Little Miss Denair pageant three years ago, she had several goals in mind.

“I wanted the focus to be on who the girls are instead of what they looked like. I wanted the girls to gain performing experience and confidence being in front of people. I wanted them to learn to love their unique differences and get a chance to be celebrated by their loved ones. I wanted them to grow a love of service and community, and I wanted to help create those classic ‘hometown memories’ to be able to look back on and feel a connection to Denair aside from in the classroom and their own homes,” she said.

Following the conclusion of the 2025 pageant held at the Denair Gaslight Theater on Saturday, Youngdale said she felt that the program is well on its way to meeting those goals.

Thirteen youngsters participated in this year’s pageant, spending the summer preparing. Youngdale said they also make sure the pageant comes right before the annual Denair Farm and Family Festival (set for Sept. 13 this year) so the contestants all get to ride in the tractor parade together. 

The show has four categories: Go (sport or outdoor hobby), Glow (performance or showcase of what makes them feel proud of themselves), Grow (what they want to be when they grow up), and Give (showcasing community service or acts of kindness they completed over the summer).

“The girls are encouraged to share their unique interests and be as true to themselves as possible while having fun. We've had girls share their love for fishing, riding bikes, wrestling, puppet art, ax throwing, chicken tending, and all sorts of things you would never see displayed in a traditional pageant, and we love it that way,” said Youngdale.

Even though there are grand winners awarded — with this year’s winners including Harley Cushing for Little Bitty Miss, Paisley Northcutt (Little Miss) and Bodhi Nagel (Junior Little Miss) — all the girls left with tiaras, crowns, and awards based off of their own strengths displayed, such as Most Brave, Most Kind, and Most Improved. The trophies all get larger based on how many years the girl has competed as a way to reward effort and their determination to keep trying, according to Youngdale.

The pageant also awards an Honorary Mrs. Denair each year to one of the judges who is deemed a positive female role model in the community. This year the award went to Andrea Bennett, who started with the PTO and then ran for the Denair Unified School Board this past year.

“We strive to recognize women who see a place where they can make a difference and then step up to help make those positive changes where they can. It's so easy to say you wish things were different, but we love to see women volunteering to help make things happen,” said Youngdale. 

The pageant also gives out a Legacy Award every year to somebody who has left a positive lasting impact on the Denair community. This year's recipient was retired kindergarten teacher and Denair's longest living resident, Hazel Wade, who will be turning 106 next month. 

The 2025 Little Miss Denair pageant contestants were:

Little Bitty Miss (Ages 5-6)

·       Chelsea Akin

·       Ensley Northcutt

·       Ivy Rose Starks

·       Harley Cushing

Little Miss (Ages 7-8)

·       Addyson Melo

·       Savvi Youngdale

·       Charlotte Akin

·       Paisley Northcutt

Junior Miss (Ages 9-12)

·       Faith Cushing

·       Bodhi Nagel

·       Ivi (Iviana)  Lopez

·       Ruby Rutherford 

·       Kenzie Cushing