All-American Pageant returns, celebrates 50-year anniversary of the local fundraising event

A local tradition returns to Graham and celebrates its 50th anniversary next Friday and Saturday as the All-American Girl Pageant is at Graham Memorial Auditorium following a one-year absence. The event allows area high school students to showcase their talents to the community and serves as a fundraiser for the Graham High School Thespian Society and GHS Theatre Department for scholarships. 

The program was started 50 years ago in 1972 by Jack Cody and the theme this year will be a trip back to the 1970s. The pageant has 20 participants this year and also has a group of around 15 thespians that are working on producing the pageant, according to GHS Theatre Director and All-American Girl Program Coordinator Katie Huitt.

“We are so excited. I have had so many young ladies just really excited because they wanted the opportunity to do it last year and, of course, it just wasn’t safe so this year things are hopefully a lot better in the community as far as COVID and it’s just really nice to be able to be back in person and back on stage,” Huitt said. “I will tell you our participants are really excited about it and (the) thespians and our thespian society, they are the ones that produce the pageant. Our president and vice president and all of our thespian officers all have a specific role in the pageant and they’ve been working already for months planning and coming up with just some excellent surprises and they have been so excited to get this thing off the ground.”

The pageant will be held at Graham Memorial Auditorium Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6. Huitt said the event goes back to helping theater students with GHS and helps those involved spotlight themselves to the community.

For the rest of the story, see the Oct. 27 edition of The Graham Leader.