TORRINGTON – Calista Dugger, a senior at Torrington High School, remembers seeing Miss Merry Christmas in the annual Christmas parade on Main Street when she was young. She and her family have gone to the parade every year since she can remember, she said.
This year, she’ll be in the convertible wearing a cape and a sash bearing her title,“Miss Merry Christmas.”
“I decided to do it this year as something to help my community,” Dugger said. “I enjoy being a role model to younger children and I thought this would also be a good opportunity for that.”
This attitude was what led Torrington Lions Club members who judged the competition to select Dugger. The job involves a lot of interaction with the community, especially its littlest residents, according to Lions Club President Valerie Grant.
“Calista is really personable and really enjoys people and children,” Grant said. “And she has done community service in the past and represents what we’re looking for in a Miss Merry Christmas.”
The six applicants for the position came to Pieper and Marsh Family Dentistry Wednesday night for interviews. The women who applied were the best Grant said she’s seen in a long time.
“I was really impressed how much time almost all those girls put into doing some volunteer work in the community,” Grant said. “That impressed me, I didn’t realize young people were doing that much community service.”
Dugger is also involved in dance, where she mentors younger dancers, and Future Farmers of America (FFA). She said she plans to go to college and major in either agricultural education or agricultural law.
For now, she’ll be one of nearly 40 women to hold the Miss Merry Christmas title in Torrington Lions Club history. Grant said she’ll help primarily with the club’s Holiday Bazaar on Nov. 28 at the Rendezvous center. She’ll also be a prominent part of Main Street’s Parade of Lights on Dec. 4, where she’ll ride in a car behind Santa Claus.
“I’m excited to have a role that other women have had as well and to play apart in the Miss Merry Christmas title,” Dugger said.
Miss Merry Christmas also receives a scholarship from the Lions Club and participates in other events they hold throughout the year, according to Grant.
“She’ll be the ambassador of Christmas cheer and good will,” Grant said.
