On Saturday, two girls will join the ranks of Winter Carnival royalty.
The Snowdrop and Snowflake Pageant will be held at 7 p.m. at the Robert W. Wachter Auditorium at Pottsville Area High School. Doors will open to the public at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $6. The pageant is part of the 47th annual Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival.
"It's a wonderful pageant, it really is," said Carole Lee, coordinator for the Snowdrops.
Lee said 29 second- and third-grade girls are competing for the Snowdrop Princess crown. There are 21 high school juniors vying for the title of Snowflake Princess. The girls have prepared for the showcase all month. Judging took place at various events throughout the carnival, including fashion shows.
The event will begin with the Snowdrop coronation, followed by a short intermission featuring entertainment from local talent Reiley Lonergan. Lee said Lonergan will perform a few songs before the Snowflake contestants take the stage.
"It's just enough to get the little girls off and Snowflakes on," Lee said.
With two coronation pageants in one night, Lee said the high school auditorium is packed with people.
"It's usually very crowded because the little girls bring a lot of family with them and the Snowflakes bring lots of friends and family," Lee said.
Lee said she has been working with the Snowdrops for more than a decade. Over the years, she said the girls rarely get upset with the outcome when it's not in their favor.
"The little girls seem to cheer each other on," she said.
Lee said the event is special for the girls who are competing for the last time. She said those girls are the ones who really show the emotion after the pageant ends.
"That's what the girls get upset about," she said, adding that some former contestants returned for a visit at the Royal Tea held Jan. 25 in Pottsville.
Following the coronations, an after party will be held at Hillcrest Hall, Minersville. Lee said there will be a charge for the public to attend.
Lee said the party has been the favorite part of the Winter Carnival for the girls over the years. She said long after she leaves, the girls continue to "dance the night away."
"They are so excited about the party," she said.
Most of all, Lee said the pageant gives the girls a night to have fun and remember.
"When they open the curtain that night they are all princesses," she said.
The 47th Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival will conclude Feb. 8 with the crowning of the Queen of Snows, also at Pottsville Area High School.