On Saturday, Oct. 26, the Natural Beauties of Alabama held the Miss Logan Martin Pageant at Pell City CEPA building.

Along with Miss Pell City, the pageant is one of two held each year by Natural Beauties of Alabama, directed by Kim Isbell, who strives for the “classic beauty of the Miss America pageants.” She enjoys holding pageants to help young girls build self-confidence and strong networks of friends in a fair and clean environment. She adds, “For these young ladies to walk across the stage and be judged on their walk, beauty, dress and poise requires amazing bravery.”

With nine competitions across different age groups, each contestant was judged based on traditional pageant criteria such as style, personality and beauty, all while maintaining a professional and sportsmanlike attitude.

The eight age divisions were Baby Miss Logan Martin (0-23 months), Tiny (2-3 years), Petit (4-5), Little (6-7), Pre-Teen (8-10), Teen (11-13), Miss (14-16), and Mrs. (17 and up).

Each division issued an award for the Queen, two alternates, most photogenic, prettiest eyes, prettiest hair, prettiest smile, best dress, and best personality.

Four of the winners among the higher age divisions received scholarship money from local businesses who donated to the pageant. Isbell Land and Excavating, Boyd Construction, Tri-Zone Homes, D & G Construction and Watts Sawmill & Logging contributed a combined $2500 in scholarship money split among four of the winners of the oldest brackets, with the winner receiving $1000.

Madeline Ponder won the Teen division and received a $500 scholarship from Watts Sawmill & Logging, Marianne Knight won the Mrs. Logan Martin division and received $500 from Tri-Zone Homes, Natalie Purinton won first alternate in the Miss Logan Martin division which came with a $500 scholarship from D & G Construction and Natural Beauties of Alabama, and Armenda Owens won Miss Logan Martin along with a $1000 scholarship from Boyd Construction and Isbell Excavating.

“The pageants presented by Natural Beauties of Alabama are not glitz pageants,” asserts the website. Glitz pageants place much more emphasis on external beauty, allowing its contestants a lot of freedom in the use of makeup, hair extensions and even false teeth. Headshots are often heavily photoshopped to exaggerate the size of certain features and soften others. Entry fees and costs for entry into such pageants are typically more expensive.

In contrast, natural pageants are just the opposite, expecting contestants to portray their beauty in a more natural state and will be graded also on their personalities. Only light makeup is allowed for children under 13 and other beauty accessories such as false eyelashes, nails or teeth are not allowed at all.

Isbell says the next pageant is already set for April 11, 2020 and she is already accepting scholarship donations for 2020 Miss Pell City.