Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 18, 2009 at 10:09 p.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by gonefishen (anonymous) on August 18, 2009 at 10:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Las Wages - Dancing on poles - - - Cheetahs!

Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 18, 2009 at 11:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Little Darlings, so I have been told. LOL! OG's offers something free to UNION members. However, that is KW and my cardinal rule. Never have found paying for a nut case dancing around half naked. I dated plenty of those. LOL!

Seriously, I think the county as a whole, should limit these vanity pagents to one or MAYBE two per year. They would mean more to the participants. And they are a haven for perverts. Parents should beware, especially of the individuals with video cameras and no daughter or immediate relative in the pagent.

I know of a local case where the stepfather had hidden video cameras in his stepdaughter's bathroom. And she was a regular participant in pagents. She had many teenage friends over for sleep overs. He was present at many pageants with a cam-corder. Many young girls in pageants are video taped and their photos traded all over the world. Strangely Chilton County has more pageants, (as a whole county) than any I have ever seen. Las Vegas doesn't have HALF as many a Chilton county does.

Posted by Rickey (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 12:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

KW -
Vegas is a lot different than our beloved Chilton, of course this has not escaped your notice. For obvious reasons, Vegas doesn't require as many pagents as our rural county.
I feel that pagents give contestants a dream or a goal to hang on to and thus, contributing to overall self-esteem. Pagents grant certain benefits to "winners" and often puts them on a path to bigger things to come. And if nothing else, pagents serve as a source of entertainment in areas where entertainment venues are severely limited. Pagents do not generate perverts ... perverts are already there. Perverts simply prey on pagents as targets. I'd rether see someone join a pagent - any pagent - than to elect to become a member of some street thug gang, simply because there was not enough "excitement" going on. You be the judge!

Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 7:49 a.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by jkelley (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 8:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

So KW that's what happened to you...you were in pageants when you were younger....now look at you....lol jk...

Posted by tammyvines (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 8:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Everyone knows you can't argue with Steve Graves. He has the answer to everything. My daughter has gained tremedous success in pageantry. It has afforded her opportunities she would have never had otherwise. She is now on the cover of the July eddition of Alabama Weddings. She just started college and her pageant days are far from over! As with everything else, it is what you make it. I don't think any of our small girls from chilton co. parade around in enough make up to look like a crack addicted hooker. That would be called Glitz pageantry. Chilton County does not host any of those pageants.

Posted by momof3As (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 10:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

As one of those young ladies that you grew up with and a former pageant winner, I can tell you that I am close to 40, but I am neither a pill popper or neurotic. In addition, I am functioning well in the workplace, have three young girls, and I am happily married. I have many other former pageant friends that also function well in everyday life. Please don't generalize everyone until you've seen the other side. Maybe you should attend a local pageant. It might change your whole outlook and opinion!

Posted by Rickey (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 1:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

kw -
You are absolutely right. (I often start any conversation by validating the other person's point of view). You and I respectfully disagree. But I have been to pagents and I have been involved in pagents, to a limited degree, and I know the positive side of such events. Therefore, I feel more qualified to make a statement as opposed to someone who has never in his life attended a pagent. My assumption is, and it is only an assumption, that people look at that little beauty queen in the news media who came up missing or killed or whatever, and base their entire view on this single incident.

tammyvines - we don't argue with Mr. Graves. In fact, we don't argue with anybody. We simply exchange differing points of view. We grow and we learn, and perhaps through all of us, someone else does the same. Imagine this page where everybody agrees with me or with you or with Mr. Graves. Talk about dull! Our sincere CONGRATULATIONS to your daughter. She deserves all of her success, because she has worked hard for it. And quiet frankly, we hope to see her as Miss America in the future.

Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 2:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks Rickey. TammyVines came to this thread with her butt on her shoulders looking for an argument. She sent me an email a while back accusing me of making a negative comment about her daughter. KW and I went through every comment I have made since this thing began. NOT ONE NEGATIVE OR DEROGATORY COMMENT addressing Ms. Vines daughter. I have even wished her well before her trip to Vegas. Ms Vines has a chip and a yearning to argue with me. She'll get over it. Or not. No one else was arguing. We were sharing differences of opinions. Only Vines has made a named personal attack. I really like, respect, and enjoyed working for J.D. But Tammy seems to be a butthead.

Posted by Rickey (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 3:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

KW -
You have taught me well, and for this I shall always be grateful. I hope Tammy gets with this program: We don't argue - we simply have oppossing points of view - and mine is always subject to reconsideration.

Ms. Vines, -
I challange you to prove where Mr. Graves has ever made a derogatory statement regading your daughter. Due to his respectful character, Mr. Graves doesn't do that sort of thing. So if you can prove me wrong, then please do. Otherwise, sit down and be silent.

Posted by kmp235 (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 3:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

i honestly think that more than 90% of the comments posted about ALL of the articles are hilarious! i don't think that those responding realize that the people of chilton county are not the only ones visiting this website. i am from chilton county but currently live out of state and when looking upon the comments made by RESPECTABLE people in chilton county i am ashamed! when the advertiser started to allow comments to be posted about different articles i thought of it as a very positive and modern addition to the site, BUT it has not been that at all. it is a place for those who are supposed to be ADULTS to come and act as if they were in grade school. not only does it reflect badly upon them and their character, but upon chilton county. whether you all know this or not, people will associate the way you act on here as to how people in chilton county may act. it's ridiculous!

Posted by tammyvines (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 3:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

kmp235
You are absolutely right! I shouldn't have even posted and normally don't. Its just gets under my skin when people post comments or opinions when they have no idea what their talking about. My opologizes.

Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 9:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

jkell, I just read your comment. Guess I overlooked it. Ironically, my younger idiot, I mean brother, was the Clanton Advertiser's "Peach Bud" in 1972. Look how he turned out! LOL! That validates my earlier comment about pageants and pills.

Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 19, 2009 at 11:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

As for the first two comments that were removed, watch Dateline in the ID channel,channel 285. You will see a couple episodes of cases where pedophiles stalk childrens pageants. Seems the Advertiser wants people to keep their heads in the sand in regards to these vanity pageants and pedophiles video taping them. Go figure.

Posted by my2cents (anonymous) on August 20, 2009 at 1:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I think our county does go overboard on beauty pageants and concentrate way too much on such events. Football and beauty pageants are what we do. Sadly, I think our kids mindset is that in school if you are a boy, to be popular you must do well in football. For our girls, to be popular you must do well at beauty pageants. For the girls who do well in such pageants, these ones may reap positive benefits, but what about the other girls? What about girls who don't feel adequate enough or have enough self esteem to participate or girls who can't afford to participate? What effect does it have on them? In the past many years ago, after observing some of such events I couldn't help but wonder if who the young lady was or who her parents were or if her general popularity affected the judge's decision consciously or not. Now days, maybe they have judges who are unaware of such things. I don't know. Sadly, much of our society reinforces the need for good looks. I don't think it is a good idea to have our kids compete to see who is the most beautiful. When I think about it, this practice in itself just seems to be such an odd thing to want our children to participate in. I do think that if beauty pageants were a brand new concept presented to our society and noone had ever heard of beauty pageants before, we wouldn't be so favorable to the idea. Also, consider the expense one of these events costs to participate and it is all centered around how one looks or presents herself. It just seems like we could find a more positive outlet for these young ladies.