Miss Hampton Beach 2022: Seabrook’s Hannah Ritchie reflects on year with crown

HAMPTON — The reigning Miss Hampton Beach will give her title to a successor next weekend after a year of wearing the crown as an ambassador for the Seacoast.

Hannah Ritchie said she cherished her time as the 2022 Miss Hampton Beach, not just for the fancy dress, makeup and swimsuit competition. A former Miss Seabrook winner, she said she has been chasing pageant titles since second grade and found the contests to have a positive influence on kids in the community.

“It was an experience that a lot of young women should get to have,” Ritchie said.

The royal transition will take place July 30 at the Seashell Stage at 2 p.m., when dozens of girls and young women will descend upon the beach to compete. The pageant is in its 77th year and will be accompanied by sister pageants — Little Miss and Junior Miss Hampton Beach — the day before, July 29, at the same time and location.

The pageant draws contestants from far and wide, with one contestant coming from Florida with her family on their summer vacation, according to organizer Stephanie Lussier. After winning the 1995 pageant, Lussier revived the contest when it was discontinued for one year.

“It’s a good stepping stone for girls to learn interview skills and teamwork,” Lussier said. “And it’s good for the beach.”

Former Miss Seabrook crowned Miss Hampton Beach 2022

While winners have come from across the region, Ritchie, 19, is as local as they come. She works at the Galley Hatch and at Grill 28, where she drives the beverage cart at Pease Golf Course. She is entering her second year at the University of New Hampshire, and she has grown up enjoying Hampton Beach.

“I definitely go to the Wall more,” Ritchie admitted, referring to Hampton’s less touristic North Beach.

Still, she grew up enjoying the Seafood Festival each year, as well Blink’s Fry Doe and Playland Arcade. She also said she has looked up to Miss Hampton Beach ever since she first entered the Junior Miss Seabrook pageant. She competed a few years in a row before taking that crown, then became Miss Seabrook, and Miss Hampton Beach was always a judge at the table.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s Miss Hampton Beach,’” she recalled.

In those earlier pageants in Seabrook, Ritchie won by demonstrating her ability as a painter in the talent section. She brought a few pieces to show judges, including one dear to her that she painted of her grandfather standing in front of an old farmhouse where he grew up. The painting was in black and white watercolor, defined by shading. She gave it to him as an 85th birthday present, and it helped her take the Miss Seabrook crown in 2019.

Three years later, Ritchie made a last-minute decision to enter the Miss Hampton Beach pageant. She had a few years left to do so, the age group being 16 to 24. She found encouragement in friends who were involved in the pageant world — Kerrin Shea, who won Miss Granite State Outstanding Teen in 2019, and 2021 Miss Hampton Beach Lauren Brophy.

“They were just telling me that I should get up there and do it,” Ritchie said.

Ritchie said the pageant in Hampton was more nerve-racking than the ones in Seabrook. There was dance choreography, for one, as well as a swimsuit portion and “a ton” of people walking along the beach to watch.

“There was just a lot more to it,” Ritchie said. “Definitely just nerves.”

Ritchie said she had the support of her workplace the Galley Hatch, which sponsored her, as well as her friends and neighbors in Seabrook where she got her start. She wore a bright blue dress for the evening gown segment and a hot pink swimsuit “because it’s fun,” she said.

In the interview section, separate from the audience and before the pageant, she was asked by judges what she would suggest to improve Hampton Beach. She said there should be a recreation program for children staying at the beach, harkening back to her love of the Seabrook Community Center that introduced her to pageants.

“I think that would be good to have at the beach because the beach is right here,” Ritchie said. “It was nice (in Seabrook) because my parents always worked. It allowed me to spend time with friends and stay occupied in the summer.”

The last year has been special for Ritchie, who kept up with her beauty queen duties while studying at UNH. She made time for events like the Hampton and Exeter Christmas parades, the Yankee Homecoming parade in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and more recently at the 2023 Hampton Beach Country Fest. She also came up with her own idea of giving homemade cards and goodie bags to seniors at the Partridge House for Valentine’s Day.

“Well, I’m big into art, and I like doing arts and crafts,” Ritchie said. “But I really have a soft spot for the senior community. I love older people. For some reason, I just connect with them.”

Pageantry in recent years has been under scrutiny as the public debates whether the contests empower women or objectify them. Ritchie believes pageants can move into the modern era and not be antiquated. She pointed out the Miss Hampton Beach pageant’s swimsuit segment is not only modest, limited to one-piece bathing suits, but fits the scenery.

“It’s a beach pageant, so having the swimsuit portion, I think it’s great,” Ritchie said.

Ritchie said the judges look for more than beauty today, as well, given the effort expected of the winners during their year-long reign.

“It’s not like you just win and get to look pretty. It entails a year of community service events,” Ritchie said. “It’s about the person.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Miss Hampton Beach 2022 Hannah Ritchie reflects on year with crown