Ten girls from throughout Marengo County are participating in the Marengo County Junior Miss program this year.

With preparation well under way, the program is promising to be entertaining for those who come to watch as well as rewarding for those who participate.

“We already have the music and costumes picked out,” said Marengo County Junior Miss director Katie Echols. “We are still in the process of designing sets and graphics.”

Echols is enthusiastic about the representation from across the county in this year’s group of participants.

“We have 10 girls from throughout the county, including girls from Thomaston, Sweet Water, Demopolis and Gallion,” Echols said. “Several area high schools are represented, including Sweet Water High School and A.L. Johnson High School. We have a very diverse and good group of girls.”

Echols said this year’s talent selections will display diversity as well.

“We started discussion of talents this week,” Echols said. “We have a good many singers, a dancer, a comedic monologue and a violinist.”

Two Sundays ago, the contestants began the Junior Miss preparation process on a rigorous note by learning the fitness routine, which was choreographed by Alissa Hammons and Rachel Burke.

“From here on, we will continue to practice developing interview skills and they will learn the self-expression routine,” Echols said. “We will also have mock interviews and learn the opening number act.”

Junior Miss is a scholarship program that rewards college-bound senior girls based on interview skills, poise, fitness, talent and scholastics.

The Marengo County Junior Miss program boasts a scholarship pool of $10,000, and Alabama Junior Miss offers $50,000 in cash scholarships and over $2.5 million in college-granted scholarships.

“We are excited about our participants this year, and we are appreciative of the support of the community that generates the scholarship money each year,” Echols said.

The 2010 Marengo County Junior Miss program will be held on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Old School in Demopolis. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door the night of the performance.