Bettye Jane Carby has edged slowly into the role of Pilgrimage Garden Club Queen of the Historic Natchez Pageant. Now she is both prepared and excited.

The fairy-tale-like dress is ready. She has had instruction from a former queen on how to hold and wave a scepter. And she has enjoyed laughing at herself with her usual charming self-deprecation

through all the preparations.

Carby looks the part of a queen, dress designer Cindy Whittington said. But her down-to-earth attitude and sense of humor have made her a delight to know. &uot;It’s been fun to work with her. We’ve laughed a lot,&uot; Whittington said.

For Carby, the idea of a fancy dress at first seemed strange. &uot;Usually, I go for simple things, not many frills,&uot; she said. &uot;But it is so beautiful. Cindy Whittington is very, very creative. I was just speechless when I saw it for the first time last week.&uot;

The dress is champagne satin, silk organza and lace embellished with pearls and iridescent beads. The design is in keeping with the styles of the 1850s.

The skirt features two panels overlaid with the lace and a front panel overlaid with silk organza &uot;with a waterfall effect of pearls down the front,&uot; said Whittington, who in the past has designed dresses for at least six other pageant queens.

In keeping with the tradition of former queen dresses, the costume also includes a train. &uot;The train falls from the shoulder and is mostly organza,&uot; Whittington said. &uot;But the bottom panel is the satin with lace overlay.&uot;

Carby, a 2001 graduate of Cathedral High School, is a student at Louisiana State University, where she is pursuing a degree in interior design.

Her hometown, with all the beautiful and diverse architectural styles, influenced her career choice, she said. &uot;At Hawthorne, my grandmother’s house, there were certain rooms I couldn’t go into,&uot; she said, recalling her love of the history and style of the great houses of Natchez. &uot;I remember the furniture polished to a high sheen, the unbelievable rugs, the wallpaper &045; I was just drawn into it,&uot; she said. &uot;And I knew I’d love to have something to do with that kind of design.&uot;

She is the daughter of Philip and Stella Carby and granddaughter of Bettye and Hyde Jenkins, Elmer E. Carby and the late Phoebe Carby, all of Natchez.

Bettye Jenkins, the maternal grandmother and owner of Hawthorne, said the family is excited to have a queen for the pageant this year.

&uot;She’s the first queen in the family,&uot; Jenkins said. Carby’s uncle, Rusty Jenkins, served as king; and her brother, Hyde Carby, also was a king.

&uot;She’s my namesake, and that’s nice,&uot; Jenkins said. &uot;We’re really excited about it, and she is, too.&uot;

Bettye Jane Carby said she knows her grandmother’s many long years of service to the garden club made her selection as queen possible.

&uot;None of this would be possible without my grandmother,&uot; she said. &uot;She has been such a big part of the Pilgrimage Garden Club. For her to have her namesake be the queen is a way to honor her for her work.&uot;

Carby sees the pageant as an integral part of Natchez’s tourism efforts. As queen, she is taking part in that effort.

&uot;Tourism is important to our town, and we’ll be playing a part in that,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s so neat that we have all the history that we do in Natchez. It’s a wonderful little town.&uot;

Growing up in Natchez was idyllic for her, she said. &uot;We were happy, grubby little kids,&uot; she said. &uot;We went on adventures every Saturday. I was the one always picking up worms.&uot;

Indeed, the outdoors always has appealed to her, as have animals of all kinds. She grew up with dogs, cats, mice and guinea pigs and loved to ride horses.

Her family always has been important to her, two older brothers, Gaston and Hyde, and her parents in particular.

&uot;My parents taught me to try to be a good person. They always taught me to be open and tolerant of people,&uot; she said. &uot;They taught me to work hard, learn as much as I can; and they are responsible for how much I love to read. I’m still a book geek.&uot;

Her parents also taught her to follow her heart, to be true to herself. When she was in junior high school, she decided to volunteer as a football team manager. She continued in the role into her high school years and enjoyed it, she said. &uot;And as a result of that I still love football.&uot;

The football manager perhaps will be difficult to see in her as, dressed like a queen, she glides across the floor of City Auditorium during the pageant. And no one will dream she ever thought worms to be fascinating &045; except for those who know her. She will be a long way from the &uot;grubby kid&uot; she fondly recalls.

Emily Smith Henderson, the queen for whom she served as page, not only lent the crown and scepter she will use, Carby said; Henderson also gave her a few tips about how to handle the scepter. &uot;I’m not the most graceful person out there,&uot; Carby said, laughing about the moves she has had to learn. &uot;Emily showed me how to hold my arm and

the scepter.&uot;

In a delightful twist of events, Henderson’s son, Lisle Henderson, will serve as one of the pages to the queen who was his mother’s page in 1989.