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On Saturday, March 12 in Langdale auditorium, the Valley High School band will hold its annual Pride of the Valley Pageant for girls ages zero through high school seniors. Participants can come from anywhere in Chambers County, even if they don’t go to school within the Chambers County School District. Admission will cost $5.

Kitty Deloach, who is Valley High School’s band director, said the event is a fundraiser for the school’s band program.

“It helps us raise money for the halftime show the next year, and we take babies through high school (so basically, a six-week-old could be in it), but they have to live in Chambers County,” she said. “And we do it that way because we’re called the Pride of the Valley marching band, and it’s Pride of the Valley Pageant, so we want the winners to be from our county, since it does represent our band.”

The band also travels and performs the half-time show during marching band competitions.

Deloach said the babies through fifth grades pageant will start at 10 a.m., while the middle school and high school pageant will start at 2 p.m. Every year, anywhere from 50 to 90 girls participate, she said.

“Our Baby Miss is from zero to 18 months, and then Tiny is 19 months to 35 months, and Petite is three-year-old through Pre-K,” she said. “And then Little Miss is kindergarten and first grade, and Young Miss is second and third grade, Pre-Teen Miss is fourth and fifth grade, Teen Miss is sixth through eighth grade (which starts at 2 p.m.), and the Miss category is ninth through twelfth.”

Deloach said each category will have beauty winners, people’s choice winners, most photogenic winners, a first runner up and an overall winner.

“We also do something called the high note award, and that is the biggest award,” she said. “It’s given to one person in the entire pageant that collects the most money in sponsorships … They get a large tiara and trophy.”

Sponsorships are $25 or more, depending on the package chosen.