Tomorrow’s center stage

Come see tomorrow’s stars.

The inaugural Miss Keiki Hawaii Pageant kicks off at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Waimea Theater, offering future beauty queens their first chance at experiencing center stage.

And the first-time event has drawn a packed field.

“We’ve had a big turnout,” said program director Shandell Lau of the 24 contestants. “Usually, you’ll get three girls in each division but we have four or five girls in each division, so we have a lot.”

Lau is also the director for Miss Teen Hawaii International, which sends a winner to Florida for a national competition every year. The pageant decided to start a nonprofit version for younger kids to raise money for a good cause, while getting their feet wet before they enter more high-stakes competitions. Entry is free for the contestants, who then sell tickets and donate the revenue to charities of the girls’ choosing.

“The girls pick,” Lau said. “This year’s charity of choice is breast cancer awareness.”

Age divisions include 0-23 months, 2-3 years old, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12.

Contestants from 0-6 will compete in the categories aloha wear, picture perfect, which is an 8 by 10 head shot, gown wear and a character wear, which is when the keiki dress up as their favorite characters. 

In the age groups from 7-12, they’ll compete in the same categories but they won’t have to dress up as characters, instead they’ll be judged in a healthy/fit category.

The contest is expected to go until 2 p.m. Doors open at 9:30. Live entertainment will also be on hand to keep the show lively. Tickets cost  $10 for adults and $5 for kids. They are available at the door.

“It’s a chance to get them more affiliated with pageants, some of the girls are looking to get into modeling and this is a chance to give them a platform and see which direction they want to go,” Lau said.

Info: Lau, 337-1213 ext. 3