Trashy outfits readied to take the stage
Special to Leader-Press
Five-year-old Maddox Tobias loves to swim. No life jacket needed, but he does love his pool floaties. But, when these pool toys could no longer hold air, the reigning Miniature Mister Five Hills chose to turn the trash into an outfit for Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful’s annual Eco Spring Fling on February 27 at the Copperas Cove Civic Center.
KCCB scheduled a videographer to get an inside look at the creation of the outfits all from recycled materials that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
“My mom took my measurements and outlined a pattern on the floaties. We will be cutting fish, crown and wave appliques,” Tobias said. “We decided the coveralls, cape and hat would be sewn together and the appliques would be applied with glue.”
Tobias exclaimed that the outfit created by Preteen Miss Five Hills Romella Spitzer at a neighboring table “smells good.”
Spitzer’s platform of service during her yearlong reign is autism awareness. The range of colors on the rainbow has often been used to visually represent the range of autism symptoms and individuals with autism’s abilities and challenges. Spitzer is creating her outfit from Skittles candy and candy wrappers representing a rainbow.
“My outfit is almost done with just a few changes to be made,” Spitzer said. “Going in front of the camera gives me butterflies in my tummy as I look forward to the show.”
Senior Ms. Five Hills Dawn Hale is about halfway finished with her outfit that requires cutting out lots and lots of butterflies and flowers from old photographs.
“My outfit reflects the growth of experience we learned over the year of our reign,” Hale said. “It also signifies how at the end when we crown our successors, they too will get to spread their wings. We will fly off as butterflies transformed into a more beautiful reflection of ourselves to take on the world with all we have learned and continue to do great things in our community.”
Little Mister Five Hills Jordan Hendrix, Jr. is making his outfit from recycled Bush’s Chicken Restaurant boxes and cups.
“My favorite part of my outfit is the cape and crown,” Hendrix said. “We are still working on my pants. I hope my outfit gets people to recycle after they enjoy their Tender Tuesday from Bush’s.”
Copperas Cove Five Hills Junior Ambassador Hayley Sawyer is using recycled mylar balloons cut into the shape of hearts to create a stunning evening gown entitled Balloon Amor.
“With this dress, I took balloons that are normally discarded from special moments and celebrations and make something beautiful,” Sawyer said. “With this dress, I wanted to share a message of love, love of our community, love of caring for one another and the planet we all share.”
The recycled fashion show has become a highlight of KCCB’s annual Eco Spring Fling. This year’s event will offer both virtual and live options with the fashion show taking place live while also being streamed on social media.