EAU CLAIRE — It was a weekend to remember for Malayna Klug.

When the dust settled, Klug was crowned Miss Eau Claire/Sodus 2025 Saturday, Nov. 3 at Watervliet High School in front of a large community crowd. Klug, a senior at Dowagiac Union High School, inherits the crown from Miss Eau Claire/Sodus 2024 Jazmyn Martinez.

“I was definitely nervous,” Klug said. “But I was so shocked and grateful for this experience and opportunity to be presented to me.”

Klug was crowned Little Miss Eau Claire in 2017 and Miss Miss Eau Claire Teen in 2022. Her sister, Mya, was crowned Miss Miss Eau Claire Teen 2025.

The Miss Eau Claire/Sodus Pageant allows area contestants to compete for a spot on the 2025 Court of Honor, in which Prince and Princess, Junior Teen Queen, Teen Queen and King and Miss Eau Claire titles were awarded by a panel of judges.

Contestants from each category participated in formal presentations and an on-stage question and a walkthrough. Klug said that her favorite part of the pageant experience was making new friends.

“I got really close with the girls and they were so amazing to have right by my side,” Klug said.

Klug is Dowagiac’s Senior Class Representative and is involved in a variety of school organizations including National Honor Society, Environmental Club, Rotary Interact, Student Senate. She also competes on the school’s competitive cheerleading team and is on the Youth Advisory Council Michigan Gateway Community Foundation.

Outside of school, Klug is also a member of Miss Michele & Co.’s Competitive Dance Team.

“I learned how to talk to people from being in dance interviews when I was really young,” Klug said. “It helps my stage presence just being on stage dancing and walking – smiling just felt so natural for me on stage because Miss Michele has helped me so much with that.”

After she graduates from high school, Klug plans to attend Michigan State University where she will major in hospitality and business with the goal of working and performing at Walt Disney World.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was very little,” she said.

With the crown secured, Klug will now represent Eau Claire and Sodus in the 2025 Blossomtime Festival. Established in 1906, Blossomtime is Michigan’s oldest and largest multi-community festival. Klug comes from a Blossomtime background, with several family members having participated in the pageant. Her mother, Beth Klug, was crowned Miss Cassopolis 1998 and Miss Heart of Blossomtime 1998). Two aunts, Ashley Sampson and Whitney Sposato, were named Miss Cassopolis 2003 and 2008 respectively.

Her uncle, Adam Smego, was crowned Mr. Blossomtime 2003 and another aunt, Kelley Delozier, was named Miss Eau Claire 1995 and Second Runner-Up Miss Blossomtime in 1995.

“It means a lot to me,”  she said. “I’m so grateful my family was involved in the first place. I feel like I’m supported by having them all with me. We’re in this experience together.”

Klug hopes to “spread kindness” during her reign and encourages young girls interested in participating in future pageants to give it a try.

“It is a positive experience to be in the pageant,” she said. “You learn organization skills, interview skills and making new friends. You also get to do a lot of public speaking which helps a lot with adult life.”