This week’s Spotlight is on Katelyn Barwick. Katlyn was born and raised in Walterboro and is a graduate of Colleton County High School and Charleston Southern University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
Barwick is a Victim’s Advocate for the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office and works both Colleton and Allendale Counties. She also has a photography business, Katelyn Barwick Photography.
Katelyn started out her pageant career with the Miss Rice Festival Pageant when she was young. She did pageants in High School and participated in the Miss Charleston Southern University Pageant as well as other local, state, and national pageants.
Barwick is the director of the Miss Rice Festival Pageant. She says, “When the previous director stepped down, they actually reached out to me about taking over because there weren’t many people in town who really had anything to do with it.”
There is a great deal of work involved in putting on the pageant. Barwick comments, “I start in October or November, getting the application and planning. We always do the pageant in April and from about February and March are the busiest with ordering Awards and the applications coming in. But it’s about two or three months of crazy right before.
The Miss Rice Festival Contest is open to the public and presented on April 6. Division one includes infant to seven years starts at 10am and Division two, which is eight to eighteen starts at 2pm. Entry is $10 and attendees can pay for people’s choice at the door. Katelyn says, “The contest includes numerous categories including beauty, which is the younger girls wearing a short dress, the older girls wearing a long evening gown. We have fun fashion, which lets the girls come on stage and show off their personality. In addition, we have prettiest hair, eyes, smile, color photogenic black and white photogenic. We have the sweetheart award which is where they can raise money for extra awards and to ride on the float in the parade and we have people’s choice. “
The pageant also has a scholarship, “This will be the fourth year we’re doing a scholarship. This year, we have named it, The Carter Green Scholarship to honor her memory. Carter Green was a rice festival princess from our 2023 Pageant. This scholarship is being awarded to the Miss Division winner, which is the 16- to 18-year-old girls. “
If you miss the pageant, come see the girls on the rise festival pageant float in the parade Saturday morning, April 27th. They will also introduce the girls on the Main Stage at 12:30pm following the parade.
When not working pageants, Barwick also likes photography, going to sporting events and enjoys the beach when its warm. If she had the time and money to do anything she says she would like to be a professional sports photographer.
