BELLE — Area youth enjoyed an evening of pajamas, popcorn and princess magic during PJs with the Princess, a special movie-night hosted by 2025 Belle Fair Princess Chloe Jones on Nov. 14 at the Belle-Bland Community Center.

The free event welcomed girls from pre-K through high-school seniors, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and featured a 6 p.m. Disney Princess movie.

Jones said the idea for the event came about when she and pageant coordinator Jessica Barbarick noticed November offered a rare break in their schedule.

“We figured out that we had a free month in November,” Jones said. “So we decided that we just wanted to have something in the community for little girls to come out.”

Inside the community center, the princess greeted girls in cozy pajamas and a tiara as they settled in with popcorn and a slate of activities.

“We have popcorn, we have face masks to be decorated, there’s a photo backdrop, there’s a whole bunch of different snacks,” she said. “And then obviously our movie that we’re gonna have.”

Jones said offering events like this helps keep local youth engaged and connected.

“I feel like it’s a way for little girls in our community to come out and see what all there is in the community,” she said. “And also help get out the word of the Little Mister, Miss and Princess pageant, and just really the importance of involving the community with it.”

Jones also shared plans for future events to broaden participation.

“Me and the queen (Nevaeh Kinsey) are thinking about doing a fishing day with the younger boys in our community,” she said. “To also have something with them.”

With the holiday season approaching, Jones said the fair royalty will stay active in community events.

“We are doing the BCBA (Belle Community Betterment Association) Christmas event downtown,” she said. “We’re gonna have a booth set up there. We’re gonna sell chicken and dumplings and baked goods.”

She added that she will be visiting Belle Head Start and that the queen will host a “Read with the Queen” event at the elementary school.

The evening’s 31 attendees filled the room with blankets, stuffed animals and sleeping bags as they decorated masks, posed at the photo backdrop and prepared for the screening of Frozen. Some parents stayed throughout the event, while others used the opportunity to enjoy a short break knowing their children were supervised inside the building.

Jones said she hopes events like this continue to grow and bring families together. She said she was thrilled with the turnout and the excitement the girls brought to the evening.