Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Pageant winner recalls experiences

Megan Trout, 12, of rural Gurdon, is the 2005 reigning Young Miss of Clark County and will be handing over her crown to the new Young Miss on Saturday, Sept. 9.

Trout has been involved with the Forest Festival Pageant since she was 7 years old.

The Clark County Extension Homemakers Council will host and sponsor the fair pageant at 6 p.m. Sept. 9 in the Arkansas Hall at Henderson State University.

Trouts Young Miss category includes girls who are 10 to 12 years old.

"I got involved with pageants because I wanted to dress up in the pretty evening wear," Trout said. "I asked my mom if I could dress up like that and be in pageants when I was 5 years old. She waited until I was 7 and asked me if I still wanted to be in a beauty contest."

Trout is the daughter of Lynn Britt, a teacher at Gurdon High School.

Britt said, "At first I did not know if I wanted her in such things, but it has turned out to be a good experience. She really loves to dress up. We rent dresses for these events because that is a lot less expensive in the long run."

Trout was the 2004 Gurdon Forest Festival Junior Miss at 10 years old. She also won Miss Photogenic in that pageant.

Her first beauty contest resulted in a win when she competed and won the 2001 honor for Little Miss Forest Festival.

In 2003, she was second runner up in Junior Miss at the Forest Festival.

"This last experience, winning my current crown for the 2005 Clark County Fair, was the most difficult because they interviewed you in front of everyone, plus I had to appear in two outfits," Trout said. "I went on stage in street wear and in my evening gown."

Trout cannot compete in the Forest Festival Pageant this year on Sept. 16 because of her age declaring her to still be a Junior Miss. After she turns 13, in 2007, she will compete in the Princess category in the Forest Festival Pageant.

"I will go to this years Forest Festival Pageant just to see it," she said. "But I am really looking forward to competing next year for the Princess category."

Trout offered the following advice to girls considering being beauty pageant contestants, "It is fun, and you do get to meet people.

"But if you want to win, smile at the judges. Smile the whole time, whether you feel like it or not. And be sure to stand up straight and have good poise.

"Your dress is important. Be sure to get one that looks good on you. And if you have to wear high heels that are heavy, try not to make loud noises as you walk on the wood."

Trout said, "When I was 7 years old, I thought giving up your crown met giving up that particular crown. I did not want to do that!

"Then they explained that I get to keep my crown but I have to give up the category win and a new crown to whoever won."

Trout said picking out dresses and getting to wear crowns is exciting to her. She has won three crowns and been in four pageants.

Trout said when she gives up the Clark County crown, she will concentrate in 2007 solely on the Forest Festival Princess category because it would be too much stress to try and do both pageants in the same year.

"I may do Clark County again, but not next year," she said.