Meet Aubrey Gates: Our Pick for the Collard Festival Pageant

Every year, the Ayden Collard Festival brings out a side of this town that doesn't show up anywhere else: the pageant, the parade, the collard cooking, the whole weekend built around a vegetable most of us grew up eating at somebody's grandmother's table. This year, Coltrain is proud to be sponsoring one of the contestants taking the stage, and we wanted you to get to know her before pageant night.

Aubrey is a kind, creative, and thoughtful 11 year old with a love for art and a curiosity for science. This fall, she'll be starting 6th grade at Ayden Middle School. One of her favorite parts of this pageant has been getting to know some of the girls she'll be going to school with and building new friendships. She has loved stepping outside of her comfort zone, growing in confidence, and making memories along the way. Aubrey hopes her journey encourages other girls her age to try something new, believe in themselves, and never be afraid to shine. For Aubrey, this pageant is about building confidence, making new friends, and discovering what she's capable of.

We've been part of this community a long time, and sponsoring a local kid taking a brave step outside her comfort zone is exactly the kind of thing that feels right to put our name behind. Programs like this pageant give girls Aubrey's age a chance to build confidence and make friends in a supportive setting, and that's worth supporting, win or lose. It's the same reason we sponsor Little League teams and show up for school fundraisers. A hardware store is only as strong as the town around it, and this town is full of kids like Aubrey worth cheering for.

It's easy to hear the word pageant and picture something about sashes and trophies, but talk to the families involved and you'll hear a different story. For a lot of these girls, this is the first time they've stood up in front of a crowd on their own, answered a question they didn't get to rehearse a hundred times, or walked across a stage without a parent standing next to them. Win or lose, that's not nothing. It's the same kind of confidence building we hope kids get out of 4-H, sports, or their first job at fifteen: a chance to try something hard in front of people, and find out they can handle it.

The pageant is Tuesday, September 8, at 6:30pm, Arts and Rec Auditorium. Doors typically open a little before showtime, so plan to arrive with time to find a seat. We'll have a group there cheering Aubrey on, and we'd love the company.

The pageant is just the first part of festival season this year. The full festival weekend runs Friday and Saturday, September 11 and 12, and we'll be livestreaming the parade for anyone who can't make it out in person. Keep an eye on our page that weekend for the link.

Come out Tuesday night if you can, and give Aubrey a hand. However the judging goes, she's already done the hard part: showing up and trying something new. That's worth cheering for, and we're glad to be part of it.

The team at Coltrain Hardware & Garden Center