Local to represent Grand Old City in Blossomtime pageant in March

Having already experienced the stress and nervousness that comes with the world of pageantry, when Dowagiac’s Alyssa Wainwright stood on stage at the Eau Claire community center with the other five finalists for the 2015 Miss Spirit of Blossomtime last Saturday, she was just taking the excitement of the moment.

Two weeks earlier, Wainwright had been in a similar position, making into the top five of the Miss Heart of Blossomtime pageant, held inside the St. Joseph High School auditorium. There, the Dowagiac teenager won the crown and sash as first runner-up.

With one title already under her belt, and facing stiff competition from the other first runner-ups from other communities who comprised the contestants for the Miss Spirit competition, Wainwright figured she had little chance of winning. Instead, as the outgoing queen made her way behind the girls to select her successor, Wainwright darted her eyes to the girls standing next to year, hoping to see the reaction of the winner.

Needless to say, when the crown fell upon her head instead, the surprise overwhelmed her.

“I couldn’t help but cry,” she said. “I looked out into the audience and saw my friends and family jumping for joy. It was the craziest thing ever.”

As the winner of the 2015 Miss Spirit of Blossomtime pageant, Wainwright will represent the Dowagiac community onstage for the first time in years at the annual event, which takes place on March 9 and 10 at Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center. Though she is ineligible to win the pageant or any of the runner-up positions, she will still be part of the pageant’s proceedings with the 22 other queens from participating communities, and could still possibly win Miss Congeniality and other awards from the ceremony.

“What’s neat is that I’ll get to bring Dowagiac back to the ceremony,” Wainwright said. “I’ll get to talk about our businesses, restaurants, and what a great downtown we have.”

The daughter of Julie and Eddie Wainwright, the Dowagiac teenager has lived in the area the past 11 years with her family. She is currently a senior at Howardsville Christian School in Marcellus, and has participated this year in dual-enrollment program with Southwestern Michigan College, where she attends statistics and other college classes.

Wainwright is no stranger to the stage, as she has been involved with dance since she was just 3 years old. She has been a part of the Miss Kathy’s School of Dance competitive team for the past four years, with her and the other girls rehearsing for three hours a night, five nights a week during the season, she said.

“It’s fun the night of the show, when all your hard work finally pays off,” she said. “When you work that hard, it shows.”

Outside of dancing, Wainwright is into exercising, outdoor recreation and baking she said.

Though she’s had friends who have gone out for beauty pageants in the past, this year was the first that Wainwright decided to make the leap in the spotlight herself. Her best friend won the title of Miss Eau Claire/Sodus last year, and her growth throughout the experience convinced Wainwright to try
it herself.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I didn’t want to miss it,” she said. “I want to tell my kids one day that I went out and did it.”

After graduating school this summer, Wainwright plans on going attending classes at LMC. She plans on pursuing a job as an ultra sound technician after college, she said.

Even though she said her accomplishments still haven’t fully set in yet, she is excited about representing her hometown in the area’s largest beauty pageant in a few weeks.

“I’m excited to meet the other girls,” Wainwright said. “[Pageants are] a really nerve wracking experience, so I’m hoping to get close with the other contestants and help them as much as I can.”