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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Maggy Harrelson was a rookie in the pageant world on Oct. 5 when she arrived at Thorsby High School for the 2024 City of Thorsby’s Swedish Festival Beauty Pageant. Hours later, she walked out with the crown of 2024 Miss Swedish Queen on her head to begin her reign.

Harrelson’s father always suggested to her to try out a pageant at least once to see how she would do, but the time never felt right and she opted out of them as they came and went each year. A big influence was also readily available for Harrelson in 2023 Miss Swedish Queen Alexia Valerio as the two are coworkers together. The two talked about Valerio’s reign and the possibility of Harrelson competing in her first pageant. As she entered her junior year at Chilton County High School, Harrelson knew her opportunity to do a pageant was running low, and she decided to do this year’s Swedish Festival pageant.

Harrelson used the help of Valerio to prepare for the pageant, and she worked hard on her walk so she flowed well and looked natural on stage, all while wearing high heels. She also dedicated a lot of time to the mental portion of a pageant. Harrelson said a pageant can take a toll on a contestant’s mind if they do not prepare and know to enjoy the moment and process of it.

“During the pageant process you are so go, go, go, and sometimes you forget to take time for yourself, just let it all sink in and think about everything I have learned and let myself adjust to it,” Harrelson added.

In her first pageant, Harrelson said the new scene was a bit of a culture shock for her as she got adjusted to things. The pageant started off with an interview that gave the judges one-on-one time with Harrelson and the other contestants. She felt confident going into the interview because she loves to talk to people and has an outgoing personality. Afterwards, she felt like it was her strongest portion of the pageant.

After the interview, the contestants showcased their opening number to the crowd, then their evening gown walks and finally their on-stage question. When the time came for the junior to step to the mic for her question, Harrelson had a small battle within herself. However, her self-confidence was able to pull her through.

“A lot of people do not know, but on the on-stage question I actually blanked and forgot my whole answer, and I had to make it up on the spot,” Harrelson said. “It was okay and that happens, and you have to just go with the flow. When they were about to call the names a lot of emotions are brewing in you because I think I did well, but the girl beside me could have done 10 times better and I would not even know. That is where you have to have that confidence in yourself.”

Harrelson heard the second alternate’s name called then first alternate, and neither one was hers, meaning one thing — the crown. It hit her and put her in a daze that she said did not feel real, but one she will always remember.

“At first, I was shocked and in awe, but now that it has all started to sink in I am exhausted,” Harrelson said. “You have a lot to adjust to, and you are almost living a double life … I come home, put my crown on and it is really fun. I am starting to enjoy it a lot.”

Harrelson said she is most excited to see how she and the other Miss Swedish Queens can make an impact in the community and help others during their reign. The queens will soon start their annual Christmas shopping for foster children with the Chilton County DHR, and she is excited to see how far their generosity can stretch over the year.

“I look at the queens before me like Alexia and the queen before her, and seeing how they represented the county and Thorsby, and I take that into consideration,” Harrelson said. “They have set the standards so high, which I am so grateful for, but I always think in my mind ‘I want to go bigger and farther than they did,’ so the queens after me will have high standards and they can meet those too.”

While attending school as a junior at CCHS, working a full-time job and now a crown on her head, Harrelson is prepared to balance everything including her love for basketball having played on the Tigers’ varsity team since her eighth-grade year. She will do all of the juggling while representing the City of Thorsby and its historic Scandinavian ties, something she is excited to expand her knowledge on over the next year.