FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The 48th Annual Dogwood Trail Pageant and Scholarship Program, sponsored by the Eastern Shore Optimist Club (ESOC), will be presented Saturday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m., at the Fairhope Civic Center.

The program will showcase characters, animal life and plant life from “The Wild Frontier” theme. The 27 participants will bring the theme to life during their creative introductions.

Pageant contestants must be sophomores or juniors living or attending school on the Eastern Shore who maintain at a 2.5 or higher grade point average. This year, five contestants attend Daphne High School, Fairhope High School, five; Bayside Academy, two; and Spanish Fort High School, 15.

The 2008 Dogwood Trail Court will be selected by a panel of five judges, in the categories of interview, creative introduction and poise and composure. The Top 12 participants will be asked a randomly drawn question. The six young women with the highest scores will receive the honor of serving on the 2008 Dogwood Court. Each will receive a $1,000 cash scholarship to the college of their choice from the ESOC as well as a complete antebellum costume in a pastel color.

The new court’s first official appearance will be at the Annual Arts and Crafts Festival on March 15. Court members serve for one year as good will ambassadors for the Eastern Shore. They complete about 300 hours of community service, appearing at city, county and state events such as parades, festivals and out-of-town trips that promote the Eastern Shore. The itinerary of the 2007 court included an autumn visit to the Le Bonneur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn.

All participants have an opportunity to earn cash scholarships to the schools of their choice. The Dogwood Trail Committee and the ESOC present a cash scholarship to the participant who receives the Crystal Kae Davis Memorial Spirit of Dogwood Award.

The Dogwood Trail Program presents cash scholarships to the college of the winners’ choice in the following categories: Highest Scholastic Achievement-Sophomore and Junior, each, $250; Honorable Mention Scholastic Achievement-Sophomore and Junior, $200; and Best Essay, $100. The Best Essay winner is determined by The Pensters writing club.

ESOC award the Best Creative Introduction recipient with $250 and the Best Presence and Composure recipient with $250. Other cash scholarships to designated institutions are: The First National Bank of Baldwin County, best interview, $250;

Faulkner State Community College gives two Presidential scholarships to the first two applicants from among the pageant’s Top 12 participants. The University of South Alabama gives special consideration for scholarships to all participants who have at least a 3.0 GPA

The Executive Committee is comprised of Gene Broadus, president, ESOC; JoAnn Broadus, executive pageant director, who has served in that position for 13 years; Natalie Anusiewicz, a 1979 Dogwood Trail Queen, who has served as assistant pageant director, stage director, co-choreographer and has been involved with the program for 12 years; and Laurie Kelly, the court appearance coordinator-chaperone and program director of finance, has been involved with the program for four years. Chris Finerty, assistant appearance coordinator-chaperone an pageant program designer, has been involved with the program for four years. Committee members include: Barron Broadus, lighting and sound director; Valla Grodzicki, Cheryl Robinson, Angela Cocke, Dennis Sherrin, Mary Armstrong, and John Brandon, Christmas Tree fund-raiser coordinator.

Volunteers helping back stage and the day of the pageant are former Dogwood Trail mothers Linda Gregg, Linda McNamara, Darlene Clinton, Ginny Paisant and former Trail Maid Michelle Finerty and Jackie Cooper.

Also helping are Cheryl Smith and Mary Armstrong, former Dogwood Trail mothers.

Kenny Graves, radio broadcaster with WHEP 1310 in Foley, will be the emcee for the 20th year.

Juli Lee, owner of Eastern Shore Dance Academy, has served as the pageant choreographer for eight years.

The Eastern Shore Optimist Club invites the public to attend this event. Tickets are $8 and are available from any of the participants. Programs are $5 and will be available before the program starts. Refreshments will be available in the lobby. For ticket information, contact JoAnn Broadus, 990-8899.

The 2007 Dogwood Trail Court will serve as greeters in the lobby: Claire Chapman, Alex Goolsby, Carolyn Hailey, Brandy Parrish, Parrish Tracy and Shaelah Walker.