Little Queen competes in D.C.

Parker Upton loves getting dressed up.

The five year old from Rock Springs is a fan of wearing fancy dresses and fun outfits on any occasion, so getting the chance to do so on stage was just part of the fun. When her parents, Blake and Randy, decided to sign her up for the Our Little Miss Pageant, they were just thinking about how it would fit their daughter's personality and interests.

"We signed Parker up kind of on a whim," Blake explained. "We thought it was just one day, get on stage, wear a pretty dress, and it was done. We didn't realize what we were signing up for."

What they signed up for would end up taking them, and Parker, all the way to Washington, D.C. for one week to compete in the Our Little Miss World's finals competition.

The journey started when the Our Little Miss preliminaries made their way to Sweetwater County, and Blake and Randy signed Parker up.

Six other girls were signed up in Parker's division, which is "La Petite" and includes girls ages four to six. When it was time for the pageant, Parker was the only one who showed up, so she won by default.

Winning preliminaries meant Parker got to go compete in regionals in Billings, Montana. Wyoming is part of the Northern Plains region, which also includes North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska and is connected with Montana's Our Little Miss.

Parker competed at regionals, and ended up winning her division, giving her the title of "La Petite Queen."

"When you win the regional pageant, you are required to attend the world pageant and compete for that," Blake explained.

For one week over the Fourth of July, Parker and her family went to the nation's capital to be part of the Worlds Pageant. Over 200 participants competed in the pageant, and Parker competed against about 50 other girls in her division.

For the competition, Parker had to do three outfit changes in the categories of "sportswear," "interview" and "party dress." She also chose to compete in two optional competitions: "living doll" and "pro am modeling."

While Parker didn't win another title during the Worlds competition, she did take first place in the pro am modeling rainwear category, wearing a rain jacket and rain boots.

Parker's wins are especially exciting since she's never been in a pageant before.

"Parker has no prior coaching," Blake explained. "Some of the girls here in her age division have actually done it since they were infants. She is up there with girls that are on their fifth and sixth year. And we have not even done pageantry for a full year yet and here we are competing in Washington, D.C."

Other contestants not only had more experience, but also came from states where pageantry is a bigger deal, especially some of the southern states, according to Blake, which made it even more exciting "to be able to represent Wyoming, which a lot of people think is just a dot on the map."

For Parker's parents, the whole process has been a lot of work, but exciting.

"When she was crowned queen in Montana, it actually made me tear up just because it was so unexpected because we didn't have any experience," Blake said. "But to watch her walk on stage and own the stage and just feel so confident in herself - it's really rewarding as a parent that we've helped her get there."

Although the world's competition is over, Parker's work as "La Petite Queen" is just getting started.

"She is the reigning queen for Our Little Miss for an entire year," Blake explained. "And what that entails is doing a certain amount of community service and then making as many community appearances as she can throughout that year, especially promoting the pageant and doing what she loves."

Being a part of Our Little Miss has not only been a fun experience for Parker, but has already helped her in several ways.

"One thing that I've noticed for Parker is building her confidence, and then also getting her out into the community," Blake said.

Parker has already taken part in fundraising efforts and made several public appearances, including going to a Sweetwater Board of County Commissioners meeting and being a door greeter for a private event for Governor Mark Gordon.

"I just think that it gives her a better understanding and appreciation of working hard for what you want," Blake said, adding being part of the pageants has also taught Parker how to be disciplined and listen to instructions.

Another benefit for Parker is the new friendships she's been able to make.

"It's been so amazing to watch her be here and build relationships with these other little girls," Blake said during the world's competition. "And I believe they're lifelong relationships."

Parker's love for dressing up may also prove to be lifelong, as her success in Our Little Miss seems to just be a start.