By By Janet Little Cooper
Alexis Hall told pageant judges that she liked to dress up meet new people and make new friends. The five-year-old Freemanville resident was competing in her first pageant – the Little Miss Patriot pageant held every year in Century.
She was crowned as first alternate in beauty and sportswear in the pageant this past July. Alexis walked out on the stage just as if she had done it a hundred times before, according to Hall's mother, Donna King.
King's daughter was bitten with the pageant bug after seeing an older friend dressed up for a pageant. She decided then that she wanted to dress up too. King saw the advertisement for the Little Miss Patriot Pageant in a local newspaper.
"Alexis was so excited." King said, "She practiced everyday. We have hard wood floors and she puts on her dress up clothes and high heels and walks through the house with them on."
Hall will be competing in the state finals in Montgomery this weekend, Oct. 28th – Oct. 30th in the Alabama's Our Little Miss 2005. She will participate in a Candy land theme party her first night in Montgomery to meet the other contestants. The competition will include judging on party dress, sportswear, interview, and playtime with the judges, and talent. Hall is opting not to participate in the talent segment of this pageant.
"We just didn't have enough time to prepare." King said, "The talent portion is optional. She plans on singing in the next pageant in Birmingham though."
The Little Miss pageant is a scholarship program as well as a natural pageant, which means contestants are not allowed to wear make up. If Hall wins in her division, Miss La Petite, she will go on to a regional competition. The winner will receive a monetary scholarship. She is slated to compete in July for the American Co-ed Pageant in Birmingham.
Hall has five dresses to choose from now for her growing number of competitions. She likes her dresses trimmed with ribbon and ruffles.
"We are still looking for a dress for Montgomery." King said, "She wants a blue dress. She is very picky and we haven't been able to find a blue one yet. We hope to for this pageant."
The ruffles and frill aren't exactly what Hall's mother is looking for. She is proud of her daughter's newfound pageantry interest and will continue to pursue it as long as Alexis is having fun, but she hopes to get her daughter interested in sports also.
"I was always involved in sports." King said, "I played softball a lot and that is out of the question for Alexis. She said that she might want to try soccer. We'll see."
Hall's hobbies include singing, dancing, camping and helping out with her baby brother, Jaxon.
Alexis is the daughter of Jamie and Donna King of Freemanville and has a baby brother, Jaxon King. She attends Freemanville Head Start.