Pageant Winner Rylee Scott Of University Place To Be Part Of Duck Daze Parade

As is customary, Saturday’s Duck Daze Parade in University Place will likely offer an array of vintage cars, smiling faces and vibrant colors.

But perhaps the loudest voice in the procession will come from 4-year-old Rylee Scott, all 41 pounds of her.

The unabashed fan of “Hannah Montana” and Justin Beiber isn’t afraid of attention. In fact, she seems to relish it. That may explain why she won last year’s Miss American Starlet scholarship pageant in the “Tiny Miss” category.

That’s right, University Place has its own, nationally recognized pageant winner, and ours is scheduled to start kindergarten next year at .

A combination of charisma, vocal talent and utter cuteness took her from the local competition in Tacoma to the winner’s circle at the national pageant. Her talents earned her a trophy more than twice her height, $2,000 in savings and the distinction of being the Grand National winner for a full year. She also was voted “Best Smile” and “Most Beautiful” of the competition.

But Rylee was never a pageant girl, the kind that is groomed since birth to make the pageant circuit.

As her mom, Danielle Lussier, tells the story, Rylee entered the local competition last year on a whim at the prompting of other girls in her Fircrest dance class.

Not only is Rylee adorable, but anyone on this side of a Dora The Explorer poster could see that she shines in the limelight.

“She loves the stage,” Lussier says of her daughter. “She’s always asking me, ‘When do I get to sing again on the stage?’”

So, the oldest of two siblings – her brother, Brextin, is only 8 months — walked on the pageant stage last year at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma, where she smiled, danced and performed “The Best of Both Worlds,” one of the songs from the fictional Disney television star “Hannah Montana.”

Last July, she enjoyed an all-expenses-paid trip to Palm Springs, CA, and was declared the winner out of 28 other girls from around the country in her category.

Last weekend, she got to crown the regional winner of the pageant in Tacoma and was recognized for her title.

Interestingly enough, for a national winner who thrives in the spotlight, she didn’t give Patch much when we tried to chat with her this week.

“What’s your favorite song?” I asked.

“Um,” Rylee answered.

“Do you like singing?”

“Um.”

“Are you going to ride in the parade this weekend?”

“Yeah. OK, I’ve got to go.”

But Rylee wasn’t being shy, her mom insisted. Her attention was simply divided between an interviewer and her friends playing outside. At 4 years old, you can’t really find fault with that.

But on Saturday, that won’t be the case. So be on the lookout, UP. If you see sparkles coming from a vintage T-Bird car, it’s probably Rylee, your hometown pageant winner.