5 in a family vie for crowns

On a sunny July day at their neighborhood swim club, behind a table piled high with homemade cupcakes and cookies, the Poley sisters were taking shifts at a bake sale to raise money for the state finals of the National American Miss pageant.

Fortunately, there were plenty of hands to share the load: All five of the Poley girls, of Abington Township, were selected to participate in the pageant, which takes place in Harrisburg from Aug. 5 to 8.

On the other hand, that kind of participation also means five formal wear, production number, and interview outfits; three musical compositions and a dance piece to rehearse for optional talent competitions; two snapshots to prepare for the "most photogenic" competition; and at least one commercial acting gig to hone. (That last, a faux TV spot, as performed by 8-year-old Helen: "A-girl-can-never-have-enough-Barbies-what-do-I-want-for-my-birth-day-Barbies-what-else.")

And, it meant five pageant sponsorship fees at $440 apiece, not to mention the optional talent, acting, and casual-wear modeling participation fees, which were the reason for the last-minute bake sale.

Beth Poley, their mother, said that the girls' first-ever pageant experience had begun on a whim. "I thought it was the one thing that all five girls could do together: Some of them dance, some of them play piano, and some of them do track, but there was nothing that all five girls did. So I thought it would just be fun," she said.

They went to an open call in Valley Forge May 1, and when the pageant representative called three days later, Beth said, "I put her on speakerphone. When she said, 'All five of you were selected as finalists,' they just screamed."

From that point on, "We jumped in with both feet and started doing all the preliminary stuff," she said. "It's like planning a wedding."

So what's it like to live under one roof with five potential queens, ages 6 through 15?

"Nerve-racking, exciting, and annoying," said Beatrix, a 12-year-old with long brown hair and a flair for the dramatic. "I really wanted to figure out exactly what I was going to do right away, and my older sister was like, 'Let's wait; it's not until August!' But I was like, 'Let's do it!' "