The Little Miss Greater Sandhills Pageant will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 13, in the auditorium at Aberdeen Elementary School.

Twenty-nine contestants, ranging in age from 3-12, will compete in the following categories: Petite Miss (3-4), Little Miss (5-6), Junior Miss (7-8), Preteen Miss (9-10) and Young Miss (11-12). They will compete in the areas of interview (ages 7-12), onstage question, talent (ages 7-12), beauty and fitness.

The girls come from Lee, Moore, Richmond and Scotland counties.

"A Majestic Queen, the overall high scorer from ages 7-12, will be crowned," says Jan Spivey, organizer.

This is a local preliminary to Miss North Carolina's Outstanding Little Miss. It is the sister pageant to Miss North Carolina. All winners will have a chance to compete at the state level.

The emcees will be Emmy McLean, Miss Greater Sandhills 2010, and Morgan Ammons, Miss Greater Sandhills Outstanding Teen 2010.

"Katherine Puryear, Miss North Carolina's Outstanding Teen, will crown our winners this year," says Spivey. "We're excited to have her come."

Puryear is the 16-year-old daughter of Felicia Ewings and the granddaughter of James and Barbara Ewings, of Thomasville. She is a sophomore and an honors student at Trinity High School. She competed as Miss Thomasville, winning the Miss N.C. Outstanding Teen title in June and coming in as third runner-up in Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant in August.

Contestants include:

Petite Miss - Ashley McKenzie, daughter of Heath and Joni McKenzie, of Carthage; Macy Armstrong, daughter of Daniel and Kristen Armstrong, of West End; and Madison Dixon, daughter of Hugh and Amanda Dixon, of Laurinburg.

Little Miss - Hailey Williams, daughter of Tracy Williams, of Hamlet; Lauren Hudson, daughter of Renee Smith and Tony Hudson, of Sanford; Courtney Armstrong, daughter of Darrick and Emily Armstrong, of Southern Pines; Cailin Belton, daughter of William and Jennifer Belton, of Vass; Azyion McCormick, daughter of Keith and Teshauna McCormick, of Carthage; Crystal McLean, daughter of Audra McLean, of Jackson Springs; Leilani Mogensen, daughter of Tanya Mogensen, of Pinebluff, and the late Robert Mogensen; Jennifer Ryder, daughter of Eric and Patrice Ryder, of West End; and Marcey Stone, daughter of Bracey and Tina Stone, of Laurinburg.

Junior Miss - Alexis Locklear, daughter of Jamie and Vicki Locklear, of Laurinburg; Chloe Roberts, daughter of Sean and Katherine Roberts, of Pinehurst; Alexandra Patterson, daughter of Scott and Heather Patterson, of Southern Pines; Callie McLean, daughter of Matt and Noel McIntyre, of Wagram; and Mia Menchion, daughter of Tambra Menchion, of Aberdeen.

Preteen Miss - Megan Huff, daughter of Martin and Lesa Huff, of Pinehurst; Makayla Blue, daughter of Mike and Heather Doolittle, of Carthage, and John Blue, of Greensboro; Leigha Armstrong, daughter of Darrick and Emily Armstrong, of Southern Pines; Sarah Nadzan, daughter of Melissa Nadzan, of West End; and Cassidy McIntyre, daughter of Matt and Noelle McIntyre, of Wagram.

Young Miss - Morgan Hendrix, daughter of David and Peggy Hendrix, of Pinehurst; Elizabeth O'Brien, daughter of Matt and Shelbi O'Brien, of Aberdeen; Ashley Matthews, daughter of Kevin and Vickie Matthews, of Whispering Pines; Kay Gallimore, daughter of Carl and Cindy Gallimore, of Cameron; Vanessa Mogensen, daughter of Tanya Mogensen, of Pinebluff, and the late Robert Mogensen; Claudette Davis, daughter of John and Pam Davis, of Pinebluff; and Isabelle Guevara, daughter of Frank and Donna Guevara, of Aberdeen.

Tickets will be sold at the door. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children.