Twenty-four teens, including local resident Madeline Lee, will give it their all in the upcoming Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Pageant, which is set to run tonight through Saturday at the Vicksburg Auditorium, 901 Monroe St.

Madeline, who is the Miss North Central’s Outstanding Teen titleholder, said she got her first taste of pageantry when she served as a Magnolia Princess in the Miss Mississippi Pageant program.

“I had been part of the program before and I just thought it was awesome how these girls were not only beautiful on the outside, but they had heart for community service and were truly making a difference. They also had talent and interview skills,” Madeline said.

Like the Miss Mississippi Pageant, its sister pageant, the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen Pageant will have talent, interview and evening gown phases of the competition. However, instead of a swimsuit competition, the teens will wear athletic gear to show off their fitness skills.

Lee said her favorite aspect of the competition is the talent phase.

“I just love being on stage and entertaining people,” she said, adding she has taken dance lessons since she was 3 years old and has been singing since the fifth grade.

During the competition Madeline will sing.

The teens, like the Miss Mississippi Pageant contestants, also have to have a platform, and Madeline’s is Dance From the Heart.

“I never thought Dance From the Heart was going to be a pageant platform. I started it when I was in the seventh grade, It (Dance From the Heart) is a special needs dance team with girls at Jacob’s Ladder. I started it because I had an aunt, and she meant a lot to me, and she passed away. She was a librarian at an underprivileged school, and she worked extremely hard to get grants approved to help the children learn how to read. She taught me that life can be cut short, and we are here to make a difference,” Madeline said.

“I love this dance team,” Madeline said.

“I receive more high fives and hugs in an hour than you can ever imagine. These girls have taught me that the best dancers are not the ones who dance perfectly on their feet. It’s the ones that truly dance from their heart no matter what their disabilities are,” she said.

Madeline, who is the 15-year-old daughter of Phillip and Lacey Lee, said she is excited about competing in the teen pageant and considers it a blessing to be a contestant.

“The rehearsals have been sort of stressful, but mostly exciting. I am just happy I have so many more friends now. I love the other contestants. They are all so incredibly talented, and they are also nice,” she said

The Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Pageant will begin each night at 8 p.m. and tickets are $25 for tonight and Friday’s preliminary competition and $40 for Saturday.

An autograph signing is scheduled from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Friday in Downtown Vicksburg and Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Grace Post will also be on hand. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 601-638-6746 or visit missmississippipageant.com.