Brian Patterson knows real men may lose their balance when trying on 4-inch stiletto heels in the middle of Shoe Carnival, but they don’t lose their dignity.

At least not all of it.

The shoes paid off for Patterson, aka “Sabrina,” who won Saturday’s womanless beauty pageant sponsored by the Beautification Board to become Limestone County’s first Miss Dawgwood.

“I told my wife when we came home there’s no amount of money that could make me do this every day,” said Patterson, who is Limestone County’s revenue commissioner.

He credits his wife Joy and daughter Brittany Wiseheart with creating the look that made him a star.

“They painted me up royally,” he said.

Like Patterson, many community leaders got in touch with their feminine sides for the cause.

Other winners included runners-up Councilman Henry “Henrietta” White and performer Brad “Penelope” Pullum. Pullum also won the People’s Choice Award.

Others competing were Commissioner Bill “Willomina” Daws, Councilman Jimmy “Gertrude” Gill, businessman Kent “Katrina” Harris, Commissioner Bill “Tilly” Latimer, Athens firefighter David “Loretta” Ledford, Councilman Ronnie “Veronica” Marks, Russ “Drucilla” Mitchell, police officer Tom “Boom-Boom” O’Hara, Commissioner Tommy “Roxanne” Raby, Commission Chairman David “Suzie” Siebert, former Councilman Brian “Brianna” Terry, and Councilman Harold “Haroldine” Wales.

Lynne Hart, executive coordinator of Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful, said the event raised as much as $2,000 for the Beautification Board. Proceeds were being tallied Monday.

Attendees paid $10 per ticket to watch the event and could spend $1 per vote to try to get their favorite contestant crowned. The pageant kicked off three weeks of Dogwood Festival events, which are fund-raisers for the Beautification Board.

The Miss Dawgwood pageant is expected to become an annual event.

“Several people said their faces hurt they laughed so hard,” Hart said. “The guys were incredibly good sports.”



Watch the Miss Dawgwood video clip