Windham student learning confidence through pageants

By Erin Rose

Windham student Peyton Dore is learning to conquer the stage as she prepares to compete in the state’s Women of Service Pageant in March.

Windham student Peyton Dore, 7, a second grader
at Windham Christian Academy, won the Coastal
Maine Women of Service Young Princess title
in Windham in August and will compete in the
Maine Women of Service Pageant in March. 
COURTESY PHOTO

“I like playing dress up,” Peyton, 7, said when asked why she loves doing pageants. “It’s fun when I get to see the judges and my family” from the stage, including her dad, Troy, and 9-year-old brother Landon.

Kristin Dore, Peyton’s mother, explained that the duo decided to start competing in pageants at the encouragement of her pageant coach.

“Her coach, who is also the director of the pageant, Windham High graduate Morgan Wing, reached out and said ‘Peyton should do these!’” she said. “I figured she liked getting dressed up, so why not?”

Peyton entered the pageant world in January and has found success in the nine months since. She earned the Coastal Maine Women of Service Young Princess title at the local competition, held in Windham in August. That title guarantees her place at the state event and the potential chance to compete for national titles.

In addition to the overall competition, Peyton participates in a number of different optional categories that allow her to showcase beauty and fashion, including American Wear, Photogenic, Casual Wear, and Fitness. She most recently won titles in several of those categories as well.

In her most recent interview round, she was one of several contestants go through to determine who will take the crown, and Peyton’s judges have noticed how she’s improved in the short time she’s being doing pageants.

“Mrs. Maine was one of her practice judges, and then was a judge at the recent pageant,” Kristin said. “She said it was night and day, that Peyton had improved so much.”

One of the titles Peyton won in the regional competition is especially meaningful.

“She also won Miss Congeniality,” Kristin said. “All the contestants vote on that. That means she showed what the pageant represents.”

Peyton, who is in second grade at Windham Christian Academy, is known to be helpful backstage, cheering up younger contestants and helping them get pumped to walk the stage, even helping them with their clothes and accessories.

“One of them didn’t want to put her cute shoes on, and her mom was trying to put cute ones I liked on,” Peyton explained. “I told her, ‘You’re just going to wear them for a couple minutes and then take them off,’ and she started to wear them.”

“I was also telling her that her outfits were cute,” she added.

She also helps to get other kids energized before they take the stage.

“The little kids, if they’re in front of me, I try to get them excited so that they’re ready to get on stage” she said, adding that she wants to make sure “they’re not scared.”

Kristin says that Peyton’s actions are an example of how supportive the community is backstage at the Women of Service pageants.

“Everyone helps each other, even if you’re in the same group as someone,” she said. “It’s very helpful and very uplifting.”

One major component of the pageant is that each contestant must have a platform to provide service to their community. Peyton has chosen to pass out bags to homeless people in the area which includes granola bars, hand sanitizers, pretzels, gloves, and other small items.

“We did it in kindergarten and first grade as a fun project,” Peyton said, adding that they give out bags when they see people in need in the community. “I’ve kept doing it.”

Originally nervous when facing the competitions, Peyton is learning to embrace the stage, a skill that will help her as she enjoys dancing with the Maine Dance Center.

“I used to be scared, but then I get brave,” Peyton said. 

“She’s very nervous when she goes out there and then she’s a whole different kid,” Kristin added.

The pageants provide a great opportunity for Peyton to be the competitor, as the family frequently attends sporting events for her brother. It also provides time for Kristin and Peyton to spend together.

“She’s always been the sideline sibling so it’s great to have her moment,” Kristin said. “When she won the Natural Beauty award, she was very happy, and said, ‘Momma, you did this with me’. It was a nice moment.”

“She knows that we’re going all over the place with her brother, and it’s nice to have her shining moment,” she said.

The Maine Women of Service Pageant is part of the International and American Women of Service Pageant organization. It is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to empowering girls and women through a commitment to service, education and leadership development. The pageant has nine age divisions, ranging from girls as young as 5 in the Little Princess division to over 50 in the Classic division. <

Windham Historical Society’s Fall Harvest Festival offers family fun

By Haley Pal
Special to The Windham Eagle

The Windham Historical Society’s Fall Harvest Festival will be back for its fourth year from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10 on the Society’s Village Green at 234 Windham Center Road in Windham.

The Saco River Jazz Band performs during last year's
Harvest Festival sponsored by the Windham Historical
Society. This year's Fall Harvest Festival returns from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the society's
Village Green at 234 Windham Center Road in Windham 
and offers games, prizes, live music, food, a scavenger
hunt and tours of historic buildings. COURTESY PHOTO 

The festival is always one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the historical society, and it is packed with things to do for kids of all ages. At 11:15 a.m., the contests begin and start with relay races. Participants will be competing in the three-legged race, the potato sack race and carrying an egg on a spoon. The games are entertaining to watch, and the kids are very competitive while always maintaining the spirit of fun.

Then at 1 p.m., Windham Town Clerk Anthony Blasi will be judging at the annual pie-eating contest. There will be a scavenger hunt throughout the day and a contest where children guess how many peanuts there are in a jar. Prizes will be awarded to all the winners.

Bands will play live music from start to finish. The Lakes Region Strummers perform in the morning, the Windham Middle School 8th Grade Orchestra at 12:30 p.m. on the gazebo and in the afternoon, the swinging sounds of the Saco River Jazz Band will fill the air.

The Saco River Jazz Band, a group of volunteer musicians, will perform classic tunes from the “Big Band Era,” of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

The historic buildings that populate the Village Green will be open for tours. Tours of Historic Buildings located on the Village Green grounds will be conducted by Windham Historical Society members and will showcase The Old Grocery Store displaying authentic rural mercantile of the late 19th century, The Village School, a one-room schoolhouse with the historical society’s schoolmarm, Miss Hawkes (Paula Sparks) doing lessons, and The Hearse House where an old horse-drawn town hearse is housed.

For the shoppers, a Maker’s Market of talented artists and a White Elephant Table of bargain treasures will share their wares. In addition, the village blacksmith, a stone cutter and a chainsaw artist will be demonstrating their trades.

Food for sale will include hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and homemade desserts as well as Poppie’s Kettle Corn. The event is partnered with Windham Parks & Recreation who will have a booth and oversee some of the competitions and games.

At the Windham Historical Society’s Information Booth, you can try on Colonial-period costumes and get a photo taken as a patriot in honor of our country’s 250th birthday this year. 

There will also be wonderful items up for raffle, including stunning photographs by Brien Richards, a limited edition print of Babb’s Bridge by Windham artist Patrick Corey, a gift basket from On the Docks, a $50 gift certificate from Fire and Ice, and beautiful flowers from Roosevelt Trail Garden Center and Broadway Gardens in Westbrook. 

“It’s a perfect day to get out into the crisp autumn air,” commented Historical Society President Susan Simonson. “You can mix and mingle with other community members, have a bite to eat, and enjoy a nostalgic look back into Windham’s past. We encourage people to bring a chair or a blanket and stay for a while.”

Earlier this year, the historical society conducted a capital campaign to seek donations for further renovation work on the Old Town House, which was not only Windham’s original Town Hall, but also served as a school for many years, and is now the historical society’s headquarters building.

The Old Town House building was remodeled more than 60 years ago to address cosmetic and structural issues with the building. At that time, a raised floor system was installed with a wood-framed suspended ceiling and wall paneling. It covered up some issues with the building but didn’t fit the ambiance of an 1833 structure. Planned renovation work as a result of the successful capital campaign will restore the original 19th century structure and create a building consistent with that era.

Admission to the Harvest Festival is free and open to the public with food, white elephant items, and maker goods available for purchase.

In the event of rain, the festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. <