By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

HOOVER—After a two-year hiatus, the Miss Hoover Scholarship Pageant is returning this year, and with it the premier of the Miss Hoover Outstanding Teen Pageant. Both will take place at Hoover High School on July 11, with the Miss Hoover Outstanding Teen Pageant at 1 p.m. and the Miss Hoover Scholarship Pageant at 6 p.m.

The Miss Hoover Scholarship Pageant is part of the Miss Alabama program and is open to college-aged women.

The Miss Hoover Outstanding Teen Pageant is open to girls aged 13-17 and is a feeder program into Miss Alabama, co-director of the pageants Bragg Scroggins explained.

“It’s a feeder system into the Miss Alabama Pageant,” Scroggins said. “It’s such a great program in the long run to get them ready to compete in Miss Alabama.”

The Miss Hoover Scholarship Pageant has historically had a strong attendance, and Scroggins said he expects to see between 20 and 25 competitors this year. Although new this year, Scroggins said he expects as many as 15 contestants in the Miss Hoover Outstanding Teen Pageant.

Winners of the pageant will receive scholarship money and will continue on to the state level tournament.

“It’s a great way of starting out and (gaining scholarships) to go to college,” Scroggins said of the pageants.

Winners of past Miss Hoover pageants have often continued on to succeed at both the state and national level, Scroggins said.

“It helps so much that the city helps them, it helps so much when they go (on to the next level),” Scroggins said. “We always do really well at the national level.”