Jessica Lewis
For The New Era
Nancy Patton’s love of beauty pageants is contagious and, as she has recently become involved in Miss Oregon USA, she hopes that more people from the Sweet Home area will share her interest.
Patton first became involved with beauty pageants in 1994 in Hemet, Calif. Inspired by her pastor’s saying for the year – “Out the door ’94” – she decided to move outside of the church and become involved in the community by entering in the local beauty pageant.
“I’ve always done everything in the church,” she said. “My kids were in the church, the kids’ sports were in the church, all that stuff, but I had never really been out in the community. I felt that I had something to offer, but I didn’t know how to do it. I felt that (entering the beauty pageant) was the door that opened for me.”
After living in various parts of Oregon ever since she was in first grade, including Sweet Home, Patton and her family moved to Hemet in 1991 to take care of her ailing grandparents.
Her son Christopher’s girlfriend at the time had entered the Miss Hemet pageant and suggested that Patton enter into the Mrs. Hemet division – now called Ms. Hemet – as a way of becoming involved in the community.
“The first time I did it, I was totally not what I should have been, so I didn’t win that year,” Patton said. “The lady who did get Mrs. Hemet said, ‘Nancy, you have to let your hair down, drop the dress and put the slit in.’ So the next year I did it and I won.”
Mrs. Hemet is the “Ma Hemet” of the group, Patton said, responsible for appearing at chamber and community events, as well as watching over the younger pageant winners.
Before competing for Mrs. Hemet, Patton had never been interested in pageants, nor had her husband Larry or anyone in her family. However, when she decided to become involved, her husband was very supportive, and Patton said he now has had so much experience that he can usually correctly guess the winner simply by her gown.
Patton said she liked being a part of the pageant so much that she became the assistant director, a position she held for 10 years until the woman who owned the pageant decided to sell it. Patton bought the pageant under the name Patton Productions and decided to elaborate on the existing structure.
“(The original owner) wasn’t really doing anything with it,” Patton said. “The pageant was just something she would produce. When I took it over, I made it a scholarship pageant and got businesses to sponsor sashes so when the girls won, they actually got a scholarship.”
Patton said there were nine queens in her pageant and all were required to be involved in the community.
Before the pageant, Patton offered a month-long orientation in which the girls visited the City Council and learned modeling practices and interview skills. During the pageant, professional judges from across California conducted interviews that included questions about the city. The interview made up 65 percent of the girls’ scores.
“If the girls are going to represent that city they have to know everything they can about it,” she said.
Pageant winners were required to attend at least four community events a month, including ribbon cuttings and mixers, and they always participated in parades.
Patton also ran a children’s pageant. She said the children never wore make-up and “they just had fun wearing little frou-frou dresses.”
In addition to the pageant, Patton organized talent shows, which were a big hit.
“I did one here last year too but it wasn’t real popular,” Patton said. “I think we had about 30 people here. In California, I’d get about 125 contestants. When I did the kids pageant, I found out that those kids were so talented and they didn’t have any place to go perform.”
The talent shows were so popular in California that Patton started hosting two per year.
Two years ago, Patton left Hemet and moved back to Sweet Home. She attended the Miss Oregon America pageant in Seaside and, while she said it was nice, it wasn’t what she was looking for, so she contacted the director of the Miss Oregon USA pageant and was invited to go to last year’s pageant for free. The director asked Patton if she would be interested in helping with this year’s Miss Oregon USA pageant and she agreed. She will be working as a chaperone, ensuring that everything goes smoothly backstage.
In addition to working on pageants and talent shows, Patton makes gift baskets which she donates to auctions and sells at the local beauty shop. She plans on creating a basket for the winner of Miss Oregon USA that will represent the county.
Patton loves everything about pageants and sees nothing negative about them other than common misconceptions.
“I can’t say enough good things about it,” she said. “I like watching the girls blossom and become young ladies. I don’t know how many parents said to me, ‘My daughter didn’t win, but she is a young lady now and we really appreciate that.'”
Patton said that she sees pageants as just another opportunity for competition.
“I’d really like to see this part of the state be more involved,” she said. “I know you don’t see a lot of representation from around here, which is too bad. I see a lot of girls from Bend and the Portland area, but we have a great valley, a great town. Pretty girls aren’t just from Portland. There are smart, intelligent people around here too, so I would really like to see the pageant expand.”
Patton said that most girls who compete have little to no experience in pageants, and that those who are interested in signing up for Miss Oregon USA should contact Carol Lukens at (541) 330-0277 or [email protected] for an application form.
Recently, Patton said, she coached members of this year’s Sportsman’s Holiday Court as they prepared for the personal interviews that are part of the selection process for the court.
“Pageants are in my blood,” Patton said.
They’re in her family too, as her grand-niece, Hannah Patton of Lebanon, was selected Strawberry Festival Queen this year.
“I guess it takes a certain person to want to do pageants, but I know what it did for my life,” Nancy Patton said. “I did it because it was an avenue to be involved in the community and the doors that opened for me after that were unbelievable. I’ll stay doing it until the door closes.”