ABOUT US
Welcome to the Miss High and Low Country Caring Crowns Pageant! This is a benefit pageant meaning that proceeds from the event go to a multitude of charities, scholarships, and causes.
Miss High Country and Miss Low Country has been a yearly pageant since 2019. It originally started as just Miss High Country but was quickly expanded into Miss High Country and Miss Low Country. Miss High Country and Miss Low Country partners with the America's United States National Pageant System. This gives our winners ages 4 and up the opportunity to go and compete at the national America's United States Pageant.
The pageant is open to ages newborn to 100+ and is open to anyone from the following states: NC, VA, KY, WV, TN, SC, GA.
Meet the Team
Director
Andrea Elsaesser
Andrea is a Western North Carolina Native. Andrea grew up in dance and pageants. She's competed in many state and national-level pageants. She has also walked multiple runways shows and modeled for photoshoots. She has a love for dance where she performed and competed in numerous dance styles. Now retired she has moved to working behind the scenes and now directs our preliminary pageant.
Andrea is an army wife and now enjoys spending time with her husband and children. They enjoy several family hobbies such as hiking and kayaking. Andrea has a passion for animals and is a student at App State, enrolled in the veterinary technician program.
When not studying you can find Andrea working with our pageant girls on their community service initiatives, volunteering her time with the SFRG program for her husband's unit, fundraising for Max's Tank Tribute and spending time with her daughters.
Co-Director
Samantha Grindstaff
Born and raised in California, Samantha developed a strong foundation in both education and youth leadership early on. She worked as a country line dance instructor and graduated college with three degrees in child development and general education.
In 2007, Samantha relocated to North Carolina, where she continued her dedication to working with children and families. In 2017, she became the cheer coach for Mitchell County Recreation, working with students in grades 3 through 6. She currently serves as the cheer coach for kindergarten through second grade at Mitchell County Recreation, inspiring confidence, teamwork, and enthusiasm in young athletes.
Samantha is also a North Carolina Board‑Certified Paralegal. She serves as the Real Estate Paralegal and Office Manager at B. Dean Grindstaff Law.
In addition to her role with Miss High Country, she is a part of the Blue Ridge Martial Arts family where she is the "dojo mom" and uses her multitasking skills to help keep the dojo running smoothly and support students every step of the way.
Her passion for education, community involvement, and youth development makes Samantha an invaluable part of any team.
National Princess Director
Macie Woody
North Carolina native, Macie grew up in both Western North Carolina and the Statesville area. She's been a pageant and dance mom for her daughter Andrea for decades. She's the former 2020 Mrs. America's United States and retired to behind the scenes where she took over the Miss High and Low Country Pageant with her co-directors, before moving to take the National Princess Division coordinator position for the America's United States Pageant
Outside of directing Macie has her own business. She and her husband have a small farm and have a love for animals and caring for their grandchildren.
National Director
Tava Cook
Tava is the CEO of TMC Productions and a National director of the America's United States Pageant. She also started as a pageant mom to her daughter Amanda and eventually moved behind the scenes directing multiple state-level pageants before creating her own system. Tava wanted to create a system built on the "One Seed, Plants Roots" initiative, where she and her team strive to find girls and women who truly want to make a difference.
The America's United States Pageant is upheld by the values of the five pearls of wisdom:
"Passionate, Personable, Pivotal, Positive, Powerful".