A parade of Honda, Buick, Ford and Nissan vehicles weaved its way through the parking lot of George Carr Buick GMC Cadillac in Vicksburg to drop off ten Miss Mississippi contestants and the reigning Miss Mississippi for an autograph signing party Wednesday morning.

“It’s just really humbling to be able to sit here and be able to say you’re a part of this organization,” Miss Delta Blues Meredith Thomas said.

“Having those little girls come up to you just means the world and really helps us to remember that this is putting us in the position to be a role model, and so I feel it’s really important.”

The young boys and girls were greeted by the 11 ladies who sat at two long tables covered in white and pink tablecloths and were decorated with a vase of white roses.

“They all think we’re princesses in real life,” Miss Red Carpet City LeighAnn Pacific said.

Some of the contestant’s families, hostesses and pageant directors were in attendance and watched their girls in action. Cookies and tea were offered for the guests to snack on as they waited in line to get the coveted signatures.

A few princesses showed up in their crowns and sashes and mingled with other children looking to meet their mentors as their parents watched and snapped photos.

“They look up to us so much and they want to be able to do this one day so it’s just great to see how many young girls we have in Mississippi who are interested in this pageant and to see their ambition to one day be apart of it,” Pacific said.

Pacific loves getting to know the children she meets at autograph signings.

“It’s precious, especially when they come up and they say that they’ve been watching you all week and that you’re their favorite,” she said. “I think this is a great time for them to be able to see us up close, and get to have conversations with us, get to know us a little bit better.”

It may not be a typical daily occurrence to sign autographs, but it is a way for Miss Hattiesburg Ivey Swan to give back.

“It’s a little bizarre because being a normal college student you don’t get to do that on an everyday basis, but it makes me feel special and it gives me a way to make them feel special too,” Swan said.

For Thomas, signing autographs is a little bit of a flashback.

“It’s like you realize that you were the little girl that was standing there asking for an autograph at one point, and so it’s a really amazing experience,” she said.

For 26 years Carr has hosted a Miss Mississippi autograph signing party.

“He’s been doing it ever since he’s been here,” Office Manager Linda Rummells said.

Rummells said Carr likes to be involved in the community.

“I think it makes a very positive statement for our company that we’re here for our customers, and we are happy to serve the community here in Vicksburg,” Rummells said.

Carr donates a truck to help haul equipment and vehicles to each hostess, the judges and multiple demo vehicles to the winner during her year with the title.

“It makes it where we can let people see the type of automobile that we sell and that we’re proud of what we sell,” Rummells said.

The contestants at George Carr were in Group B and preparing to compete in the swimsuit competition in Wednesday night’s first preliminary event.

“I’m really excited because I just believe in living a healthy lifestyle, and I like to showcase that on stage,” Swan said.

Pacific says she also lives a healthy lifestyle, but that doesn’t make it easy.

“It’s pretty nerve-wracking walking in a bikini and 5-inch heels on stage in front of the whole audience, but I’m excited and ready to start off the competition,” Pacific said.

For Thomas, it’s all about taking in the experience and living in the moment.

“I’m really looking forward to just having fun with it, really just embracing the moment because all it comes down to is having fun and being yourself,” she said.