Fifty-seven local girls will participate in the Apple Blossom Pageant Saturday evening at the Missouri Theater.

Photos of the contestants can be found on Pages B4 and B5 of today’s News-Press.

The event kicks off with the Princess pageant at 6 p.m. Twenty-six will compete in the Princess category for girls ages 7 to 10. The Apple Blossom Princess will win a cash prize of $200.

The Princess competition will be followed by the Junior Queen pageant at 7 p.m. Nineteen girls ages 11 to 14 will compete for the title of Junior Queen, which includes a cash prize of $300.

The Apple Blossom Pageant will conclude with the Queen category at 8 p.m. Twelve young women ages 15 to 19 are going for the crown this year. The cash prize for the queen is $500. The first attendant will receive $300 and the second attendant will win $200.

The Apple Blossom Queen will also ride in the Apple Blossom Parade on May 1. This has been a parade ritual since 1926.

“The pageant is a long-standing tradition and part of (St. Joseph’s) history,� says Apple Blossom executive director Michelle Wolfe. The pageant participants will be judged on poise, personality and appearance.

For more information on the pageant, call the Apple Blossom information line at (816) 261-0422.

Shea Conner can be reached at sheaconner@npgco.com.

*A story Page B1 of Saturday’s News-Press included the wrong number for the Apple Blossom Pageant, due to incorrect information. The correct number is 261-0422.