SPRUCE PINE – The Miss High Country Fundraiser Pageant was a day of fun and glamour to raise money for the Mitchell County Shop With a Cop program.
The pageant took place Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Robin Austin Memorial Center at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. Pageant organizer Tava Cook said the event had a goal of raising $1,000 and getting 20 contestants and exceeded both by raising $1,864 and having 28 contestants. Fourteen new winter coats valued at more than $250 were also donated, Cook said.
“We are extremely pleased with the results, especially considering we had only five-and-a-half weeks to plan,” Cook said. “We plan to make this an annual event and add a kind of fall festival next year with games and other activities.”
Cook is the Southeast Regional Director for the Miss U.S. International and Miss North America pageants. Cook said she developed the idea for a fundraising pageant after speaking with her nephew and Shop With a Cop co-organizer, Spruce Pine Police Department Det. Kasey Cook, who told her donations were coming in slower than usual this year.”We had more than 120 people in attendance, and it went better than we thought it would for the first time,” she said. “We had a lot of help from a lot of people and businesses that made it a success.”
CJ’s BBQ provided lunch for the judges, auditor and master of ceremony, while Pruitt Home Health provided lunch for the contestants and their mothers.
Miss High Country Pageant winners
High Country Baby - Holland Austin
High Country Infant - Chloe Sullins
High Country Toddler - Maddie Rizzo
High Country Prince - Asher Garland
Tiny Miss High Country - Autumn Garland
Little Miss High Country - Cassidy McHone
Jr. Preteen High Country - HaLeigh Silvers
Preteen High Country - Dakota Suttles
Jr. Miss High Country - Sarah Breen
Miss Teen High Country - Kailey Ingle
Miss High Country - Carrie Bates
Ms. High Country - Jodie LaFollette