Let the glitz and glamour commence, Miss Mississippi pageant week has officially begun.

Contestants arrived in Vicksburg Saturday following a morning at the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children in Jackson. The contestants rehearsed their dance routines all afternoon in preparation for the show and had their grand red carpet entrance Saturday night on their way to introduce the 10th annual Magnolia Princes and Princesses.

“We got crowned,” Princess Sarah Headley said.

“We got a sash,” Princess Kayleigh Clark added.

Headley, of Jackson, joined the pageant as a princess just a few days ago. She is one of Miss Magnolia Bethany Cuevas’ princesses along with Clark, 9, who has known Cuevas for years and was one of her princesses last year as well.

Miss Mississippi 2014 Jasmine Murray was away Saturday at the Miss Tennessee Pageant, but Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen Grace Post was there to fill her shoes and help the contestant’s crown and sash their princesses and put a medal around the necks of the princes. Post also had the help of Murray’s three princesses in doing the honors.

Lauren Kilroy, 9, of Vicksburg was one of Murray’s princesses last year and will continue to be her princess this year.

“It’s just fun, and you get to work with your friends,” Kilroy said.

The princes and princesses duties consist of dancing and escorting their contestant.

“We’re going to be mostly dancing and practicing all the stuff for the pageant,” Hallie Turner Bryant, 11, of Greenwood said.

Bryant is a first-time princess for her long-time friend and neighbor Miss Pride of the South, Reed McNeer.

“It just sounded fun,” Bryant said.

Miss Mississippi Executive Director and Chairman of the Board David Blackledge welcomed guests and took a moment to thank the mayor and aldermen, who were not in attendance. He then presented Prince and Princess Chairwoman Lisa Boleware with a crown commending her on her efforts to work with the children for the past 10 years. Winky Freeman, the executive director of the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen Pageant, co-emceed the night’s event with Boleware.

One at a time, each contestant’s name was called and she walked down a red carpet lined with princes and princesses. Then the contestant’s three young attendants would step on stage with her to receive their crown and sash or medal. They posed for pictures before it was on to the next group.

Some contestants wore short dresses while others wore long gowns, and each wore their own crown and sash. The princesses dressed in sparkly dresses in an array of colors while the princes wore handsome suits.

The room was full of parents with flashes going off in all directions from their cameras and phones. Once the final princess was crowned, the event concluded with refreshments in the hallway.

Contestants gave gifts of appreciation to their young attendants as the crowd mingled.

Next up for the girls is a long day of rehearsals on Sunday.

“We’re going to be mostly dancing in the gym, or the studio, and practicing and hanging out with friends,” Kilroy said.