Former Rabbit Fest queen captures Fort Hood crown
Special to the Leader Press
In knee-high, red patent leather boots, a camouflage mini-skirt, a red ribbed turtleneck and black Army beret, Aleea Best entered the stage in a high-stepping military march to one of the most iconic songs of the 1980s, Nineteen, in a bid to raise the profile of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Best, 21, was a contestant Saturday in the 8th Annual Little Miss Fort Hood Pageant held in Copperas Cove. The former Miss Rabbit Fest won the patriotric wear competition in which she did the march, garnered the photogenic award and brought home three crowns including that of Miss Fort Hood, being crowned by the reigning Sr. Ms. Rabbit Fest Edith Natividad, a visiting queen at the event.
The pageant selects a different charity to benefit each year and this year, the Double E Rescue Ranch was the beneficiary. Each contestant was required to bring a minimum of five pet items in addition to paying an entry fee. For Best, winning the pageant title is another opportunity to draw attention to responsible pet ownership.
“I love being able to challenge myself by getting out of my comfort zone while supporting charities such as Double E Rescue Ranch,” Best said. “As an animal advocate myself, I cannot wait to use my title this year to continue to spread awareness about animal over-population.”
As the 2014 Miss Rabbit Fest, Best accrued more than 400 hours during her year of service working on behalf of various animal rescue charities. She has been involved with animal rescues long before entering pageants and continued the charity work after giving up her Rabbit Fest crown.
Contestants in the Fort Hood pageant must be active-duty or retired military or a family member of an active-duty or retired service member. Best’s father is retired from the Army and currently works as a civilian at Fort Hood where Best’s mother also works. Best is a student at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi majoring in anesthesiology. She plans to become a medical doctor but also utilize her skills for charity assisting in the spaying and neutering of feral cats.
Also bringing home a crown was Isabel Petty, a Clements-Parsons Elementary student, who was selected as the Junior Miss Fort Hood Ambassador for bringing the most donated items, 233, for the Double E Dog Rescue Ranch.
“I really like dogs, and I wanted to help the ones still looking for homes,” Petty said. “So, I decided to make a lot of doggy toys for the dogs without homes so they get to have some fun playing.”
Azeita Taylor, a candidate for the Copperas Cove City Council, received 1st runner-up in the Mrs. Category also winning both photogenic and patriotic wear competitions.