Five Hills royalty to be featured in opening day Texas State Fair parade

Since its inception in 1886, the State Fair of Texas has celebrated all things Texan by promoting agriculture, education, and community involvement through quality entertainment in a family-friendly environment.  
For the first time in its history, the City of Copperas Cove will be part of that celebration as the debut of the city’s new float featuring the Copperas Cove Five Hills royalty will be in the opening day parade kicking off the two-week-long fair. 
Each day of the fair, a small parade is featured each evening on the fairgrounds, but a grand parade by special invitation is what signals the start of the state fair, said Five Hills pageant director Wendy Sledd.
“It is quite an honor to be selected for the Texas State Fair opening day parade as it is by invitation only,” Sledd said. “It is also incredible visibility for Copperas Cove because it is held in the streets of downtown Dallas with literally thousands of people in attendance and tremendous media coverage throughout the state.” 
One of the criteria to qualify to participate in the state fair parade was entertainment value of the entry. The state fair is also the unveiling of the new float that the royalty will use at 12-15 parades throughout the year.
The royalty were also busy ditching their tiaras and grabbing their trash pickers to clean up Long Branch Park in Killeen as part of the Great Texas Waterways Clean-Up.  On their hands and knees digging trash out of bushes, the queens didn’t hesitate to get dirty cleaning up someone else’s garbage to take care of the environment.
The titleholders also put their creative talents to use for our deployed service members and made cards at Killeen Mall on Saturday as part of the Cards for Troops event.  Little Miss Five Hills Kadence Coombs is the daughter of a disabled veteran. 
“I think it’s important to welcome the soldiers home and make them feel loved,” the 5-year old said. “It’s important for us to say thank you to them.”
The cards will be given to Fort Hood soldiers returning from Afghanistan in a few weeks.
In royal sightings this week in addition to the Texas State Fair opening day parade, the royalty will help cut the ribbon at the new Raising Cane’s location, participate in the monthly chamber mixer, Pink Warrior Angels 5K Dash, Special Olympics Regional Bocce Tournament, and host two booths at Copperas Cove National Night Out.