Saylor Heredia, 3 years old, the daughter of Great Bend residents Tonya Schaffer and Josh Heredia, was crowned Mini Miss Kansas this past weekend at the Princess of America Pageant at the C.L. Opera house in Junction City.
“Saylor has been competing in pageants for a year now,” Schaffer said. “I competed in pageants when I was younger so I was anxious for my daughter to compete as well. We have a great time competing and have met so many great friends. It takes a lot of time to prepare for pageants, but well worth the experience.”

Contestants were judged on poise, personality and stage presence at the March 10 pageant.
Saylor will hold her title for one year until she crowns the next Mini Miss Kansas. At that time she will compete for the Tiny Miss Kansas title and a chance at a national pageant.
“It (Mini Miss Kansas) is the highest title she can have right now,” Schaffer said. “We were so excited that our daughter won this! I was so nervous for crowning; when they announced her as the winner, the crowd went crazy!”
Schaffer said she was ecstatic and excited for Saylor as they work to see how far she can go in the pageant world.
“I love being that pageant mom,” she said. Traveling to pageants have become a family activity that her sons Brantley, 13, and Braven, 5, also enjoy.

“Her brothers are her biggest fans, besides her Grandma Laurie,” her mom said. “Besides pageants, Saylor is very smart and intelligent, funny, sassy and enjoys ballet, playing with her babies and aggravating her brothers.”
Saylor is the granddaughter of Harvey and Laurie Schaffer of Great Bend and Johnny and Blanca Heredia of Grand Island, Nebraska.