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Winners to receive cash prize, serve as ambassadors

By Kris Harrell

The Greenville Camellia Society is hosting its first-ever Camellia Queen Pageant, a competition aimed at selecting youth ambassadors for the group to aid in educating area residents about Greenville and the city’s signature tree’s importance to Alabama. 

The Camellia Society is a nonprofit organization with a mission to increase awareness of the camellia’s heritage and Greenville’s history with the flower. 

“If we are to really spread the news and really resurrect and keep the history of the camellia and its pertinence to Butler County – and most especially Greenville – then we feel very strongly that we’re going to need to include young people,” said pageant director Paula Duebelt-Sexton. “We need to get young people interested and revved up about it, and at the very least keep it in the hearts and minds of people. That is the whole purpose — to involve the young people to keep this revision of history going.” 

The Camellia Queen Pageant will feature seven contestants from the Butler County area, all in 9th, 10th and 11th grade in the local high schools. Girls competing in the pageant will be judged by a panel of three judges based on how they present themselves, their poise and speaking ability. 

During the pageant contestants will be asked about the history of the Camellia, including how Greenville became the Camellia City, the flower’s history before Greenville and how it became the Alabama state flower. 

“We want [them] to be able to articulate; we want them to be very knowledgeable of our history, so they can share it,” said Jan Newton, the Greenville Camilla Society president. “What they’ll be doing is what our mission is, and our mission is going to become their mission.”

The contestant that will be crowned as Camilla Queen will receive $1,000, and the runner-up will receive $500. Additionally, there will be a court of debutantes who will receive $250 each. 

The Camellia Queen, runner-up and court will serve as representatives for a year for the Camellia Society, working with the organization at the annual Camellia Show, and interacting with the public at events.

“They will be learning not just about camellias, about [how] camellia is our state flower, but they’re going to be learning what they can do in this community as community service,” Newton said. “They will really get inundated with all that Greenville Camilla Society is doing and have a more in-depth understanding of what we do and how they can do community service, and it’s going to be a lot of fun for them and for us.”

The pageant will take place on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Greenville High School Auditorium. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students. 

For more information visit www.greenvillecamelliasociety.org or follow the Greenville Camellia Society on social media.