The Miss Heart of Dixie/Cotton State Gala was held Saturday night at the Jasper Civic Center.
The event featured a meal catered by Black Rock Bistro with members of the Curry Beta Club volunteering as servers for the nights. There was also a silent auction.
All proceeds from the inaugural gala will go to fund scholarships for pageant winners. Organizers said they expect the gala to become an annual event.
The four current crown holders were celebrated throughout the night. They are:
Gracie Harris is your Miss Heart of Dixie Teen 2023. Gracie is a 16 year sophomore at Jasper High School. She is on the Jasper Varsity Cheer Team, and enjoys playing guitar and singing at local venues and festivals across Alabama. Gracie uses her passion for music to reach veterans as Miss Heart of Dixie Teen through her Service Initiative; Voices for Veterans.
Miss Cotton State 2023 is Madeline Rigdon. Madeline is a recent graduate of Auburn University where she was highly involved in her sorority and wit with the Tiger Eyes and received her bachelor’s degrees in Education with plans to obtain a master’s degree. Currently she is a Kindergarten teacher at Chelsea Park Elementary School. Madeline’s service initiative is LOVE for Literacy: an initiative that encourages a multi-sensory approach to improving literacy scores and providing free or low-cost reading tools to children in need. This June will be Madeline’s second time competing in Miss Alabama where she will showcase her tap dancing talent to Boogie Wonderland from Oscar award ‘winning film Happy Feet. Madeline is so thankful for this year and the opportunity to serve the entire state with her title alongside her 3 sister Queens.
Olivia Smith, Miss Heart of Dixie 2023. She will be competing at the Miss Alabama pageant this upcoming summer and is so excited! She is a sophomore at The University of Alabama studying communication studies and marketing. She is a Social Media Ambassador in the communication and information sciences colleges. She is also the director of communication & media for Student Alumni Ambassadors. She was a competitive baton twirler for 6 years and holds many state, local, and international titles and now twirls for her talent in pageants. She is the founder of The Adoption Option, advocating for foster care and adoption statewide! She created The Adoption Option because she was adopted and wanted to be the person she needed to look up to as a young girl! Hana Vickery, Miss Cotton State Teen, could not attend the event, but she did send a video message for those in attendance, thanking them for their support.
