The Yakima Sparkles (formerly known as the Apple Blossom) Princess Pageant (and now the Teen Ambassadors) is a fun and special addition to our Miss Yakima County Scholarship Organization, which is a local scholarship pageant. The Miss Washington and Miss Washington Teen is the state pageant and the Miss America and Miss America Teen is the National scholarship pageant.

At the local level, here in Yakima, we strive to help our Sparkles (age 4-11 years) to have fun, make friends, increase their confidence and stage presence and give them a simple introduction to the Miss America pageant system. We meet weekly over the course of 12+ weeks to learn a fun choreographed dance number they will perform on stage during the Miss Yakima County pageant in October 2024. They will also be crowned with sash and crown as a Yakima Sparkle for the current year. The Sparkles may also have opportunities for appearances including the *Yakima Sunfair Parade, The Christmas Lighted Parade and the *Selah Community Days Parade (*if applicable and available. The girls love this program and love getting dressed up in their fancy dresses while being crowned and feeling royal! 

Our new program, Teen Ambassadors, will help our 12-13 year olds bridge the gap from Sparkles to Teen contestant, if they desire. We hope to instill our Teens with confidence, friendship, a sense of community and volunteerism, along with a good positive attitude towards self and others.

We are more than just a crown. We strive to instill leadership skills, community service, kindness, teamwork, confidence, and self esteem in the minds of our future leaders, all while letting them Sparkle and have fun!