Nearly 70 contestants competing for Krist Kindl Pageant crowns in Copperas Cove on Saturday
Special to Leader-Press
Young Miss Five Hills Emily Kimball knows first-hand what the nearly 70 contestants competing for crowns at the Krist Kindl Charity Pageant will be feeling.
Kimball won the Teen Miss Krist Kindl Pageant in 2020 and the Preteen Miss Krist Kindl Pageant title in 2019. She knows the contestants will be nervous, but she will encourage them to have fun, make new friends, and make the most of the opportunity.
“I have both won and lost the crown and I have learned to just do my best and enjoy the journey,” Kimball said. “It takes courage to get on stage in front of an audience and compete. So, everyone is already a winner for simply combatting that fear and growing as individuals.”
The 7th Annual Krist Kindl Charity Pageant begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Copperas Cove Civic Center, drawing nearly 70 contestants ranging in age from babies to adult ladies and boys up to age 8.
All proceeds from this year’s pageant will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.
“I chose this charity in honor of my grandmother who had dementia and no longer knows who I am which is heartbreaking,” Kimball said. “Most recently, the Alzheimer’s Association funded groundbreaking research that will slow down the rate at which Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia occurs. This is exciting, but we are still working toward finding a cure and what we raise through the pageant will definitely make a difference in the lives of so many senior citizens.”
Over the past six years, the pageant has raised more than $18,000 for various causes including the purchase of sensory playground equipment for Copperas Cove’s South Park, funding weekend meal programs for CCISD students in-need, life-saving equipment for children suffering from mitochondrial disease, research through the American Cancer Society, and sending children suffering from alopecia to summer camp.
All contestants will receive a custom medal with the winners and runners-up receiving trophies. The queens will be crowned in custom rhinestone tiaras fashioned to look like Kris Kringle after whom the Cove festival with a German heritage was named. The newly crowned king will receive a velvet crown, regal robe, and scepter. The new royalty will also receive double-satin embroidered banners. The new royalty will be featured on the Domino’s Pizza float in the Copperas Cove and Killeen Christmas Parades.
“The Krist Kindl Charity Pageant has truly become a holiday tradition for many families,” Kimball said. “I am so grateful to all of the contestants that entered and our vendors who will be offering early Christmas shopping opportunities. All of this support will make a difference not just this Christmas season but for years to come as the research into Alzheimer’s Disease continues.”
If you go…
What: 7th Annual Krist Kindl Charity Pageant held in conjunction with the Copperas Cove Krist Kindl Markt
When: Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, 10 a.m.
Where: Copperas Cove Civic Center, 1206 W. Ave. B, Copperas Cove
Why: crown festival royalty and raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association
Admittance: $5 per person