NATCHEZ — Scott Hanson is a busy guy with school, work, cycling and pottery.

But he wasn’t too busy to carve out some extra time to serve as the 2009 Pilgrimage Garden Club king.

Hanson is a 2005 graduate of Trinity Episcopal Day School and is currently attending Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Natchez and is enrolled in the hospitality and tourism management program.

Hanson said, after completing the program at Co-Lin, he wants to pursue a bachelor’s degree from either Mississippi State or LSU.

“I want to get my degree in something business related, maybe finance or accounting,” Hanson said.

After finishing that course of study, Hanson said his plan is to own a restaurant. But he isn’t waiting until he gets out of school to get experience; he is already working in his chosen field.

Hanson is currently learning the ins-and-outs of the restaurant business at The Castle Restaurant where he works as a waiter and bartender. And he said he hopes to one day have the chance to gets his feet wet in the kitchen, too.

“I would actually like to see the aspects of the kitchen, but right now they don’t want me to use up shift in there,” Hanson said. “To get a feel for the kitchen, you have to be back there three or four nights a week, and they prefer that I’m out on the floor.”

But until that opportunity presents itself, Hanson is happy where he is.

“I’ve worked at a restaurant for the past five years,” he said. “I love my job. I love everything about it.”

And when Hanson isn’t busy at school or work, he finds time to unwind. Hanson is an avid cyclist who finds the form of exercise to be relaxing.

“Staying active is an important way of keeping you from getting stressed out,” he said.

Hanson said he has always been involved in sports and athletics but his fondness of cycling is relatively new.

“I bought my bike as soon as I wasn’t going to be able to play soccer anymore,” Hanson said. “I started after I had used up all my years of eligibility.”

Hanson said he likes to ride daily but the king’s busy schedule has hampered that a bit.

“It is kind of hard to hit that 8 a.m. workout after you’ve been busy the night before.” Hanson said.

Hanson also has a creative side that he is able to display through pottery. Hanson said the hobby is something he sort stumbled upon.

“I needed an art credit for school at Co-Lin, so I decided to take ceramics,” he said. “I was actually kind of good at it, and it was fun.”

So he has stuck with it and was awarded the best in show award at the Mississippi Community College Art Show. When he initially enrolled in the class he never expected to find a new hobby, but said he wasn’t surprised he has some skill.

“I’m usually good at making things and fixing things,” he said. “I guess I’m good with my hands so it just makes sense.”

He may have fallen into pottery by chance but his road to king was much less of an accident. Hanson has been active in the Historic Natchez Pageant, both on stage and behind the scenes for many years.

His past experience includes Little Maypole and Big Maypole, and he was a general in the 2008 pageant court. After Big Maypole, Hanson began working backstage handling backdrops, curtains and props.

He said he had a good reason to swap his on stage experience for some behind the scenes work.

“I couldn’t do the dances,” he said. “I just can’t dance. I have no rhythm.”

Hanson is the son of Sherry Martin Hanson of Natchez and Sidney Hanson of Dallas.

He credits the good experience he is having as king to the hard work put in by his mother and grandmother, Stella Sharp.

“I haven’t had to worry about a thing,” he said. “It has been totally awesome.”

He said his role as king has been extra special to his grandmother.

“I knew she always wanted a king and hadn’t been able to have one yet,” Hanson said. “So it has been awesome for her.”

He said the help for the ladies in his life have made being king a cinch for him.

“They’ve been a huge help to me. I’m lucky,” he said. “I would have been hard to have done it this well one my own. Between work, class and exercise, I really don’t have a lot of time for any extra stuff.