Smith writes that: "The WV Timber & Wood Pageants, sponsored by the WVFA, were held this year on June 13 at Nicholas County High School Auditorium. Each contestant from the youngest division, which is our Little Miss division are asked to voice the importance of the timber and wood industry in West Virginia. We tell them that they can find information about the forest industry at wvfa.org on the Forest Facts information page. Girls are usually very excited to find out all of the different things that come from the forest. Most of them and their families think that it's just paper and wood, until the young lady decides that she wants to be a contestant in one of our pageants. Then she learns of all of the different facts and contributions that come from the forest. The contestants are very excited to share that information with their parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, etc. We figure that if we have 10 contestants and those 10 contestants share that information with two people, we have now educated 30 people in some forestry knowledge."  And so it has gone, for years and years.

Today, when many believe - just as past generations believed - that the younger generations are sometimes without focus or other qualities that we admire, we need only be introduced to young ladies like the ones who represent our industry to see first hand the character, the substance and the ambition to lead the quality of life that would make any generation (or parent) proud.

 

Our Queen, Mackenzie Mullins, will be at the State Fair in Lewisberg on Tuesday for work at the WVFA booth; from about 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please stop by and thank her and Crystal Smith for all that they do and for what they represent!