08/30/2026
To all of our incredible contestants…💓
Last night, you gave your community so much more than a pageant. You gave us your confidence, your personality, your courage, and a glimpse of the amazing young women you are all becoming.
I hope you know how proud you should be of yourselves. It takes courage to walk onto that stage, stand in front of a crowd and put yourself out there. It takes so much guts, and I wish I could hug each of you and tell you just how proud of you I am. That’s always the hardest part…not having the time to tell each of you how proud I am of you, not getting to wipe tears and or celebrate with high fives, not getting to tell you just how much I’ve seen you grown and mature with each year you compete in the pageant.
To our winners—wear your crowns with pride, but remember that the crown is only a small part of who you are!!
And to those who didn’t hear their name called—please don’t let one moment define you. A title doesn’t determine your worth or who you are. It means someone else in your division simply had a higher score….much like a sporting game.
Post pageant coffee the next morning is always a time of reflection and I must tell you all once again, we live in the most phenomenal community around. The outpouring of love, generosity and support has brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for trusting the Miss Hamilton County Dove Festival Pageant Organization with this experience. Thank you for showing up, supporting one another and making the 2026 pageant so special for so many reasons.
Keep shining. Keep growing. Keep being YOU.
I am so proud of each of you.
You are all fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14
Until next year… 👑
Candace