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2022 Miss Hospitality Anna Simmons, 2025 Miss Hospitality Charlotte Book, 2024 Miss Hospitality Ashleigh Johnson and Ashley Murray, executive director of Pretty Girls With Brains. (Stacy Graning/The Natchez Democrat)

2025 Miss Hospitality Charlotte Book stands with her parents, Kelly Graning Gray and David Book. (Stacy Graning/The Natchez Democrat)

2025 Miss Hospitality Charlotte Book poses with members of Pretty Girls With Brains. (Stacy Graning/The Natchez Democrat)

2022 Miss Hospitality Anna Simmons takes a photograph of 2025 Miss Hospitality Charlotte Book at the bandstand on the Natchez Bluff. (Stacy Graning/The Natchez Democrat)

2025 Miss Hospitality Charlotte Book with parents Kelly Graning Gray and Shane Gray. (Stacy Graning/The Natchez Democrat)

2025 Miss Hospitality Charlotte Book poses with her family and extended family members after being crowned on Saturday. (Stacy Graning/The Natchez Democrat)

NATCHEZ – Charlotte Book was crowned Natchez’s Miss Hospitality 2025 on Saturday.

The Cathedral senior is the daughter of Kelly Graning Gray and Shane Gray of Natchez and David and Jessie Book of Madisonville, Louisiana.

“I’m so honored to be named this year’s Miss Hospitality and I want to thank Pretty Girls with Brains for sponsoring me and for this award,” Book said as she received the crown. “I’m so excited for the journey ahead.”

Pretty Girls With Brains has been sponsoring the Natchez Miss Hospitality since 2019.

“We are non-profit enrichment program,” said Ashley Murray, executive director, adding that the organization is glad to sponsor the Miss Hospitality contest.

Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis introduced the club to the program, which she said offers excellent scholarship and development opportunities for young women.. “It’s a wonderful program,” Arceneaux-Mathis said. “So many scholarships are available. Our whole thing is to push young people and get them to go to college and give them as much help as we can.

“They have done a wonderful job trying to incorporate everybody in Adams County in this program and we appreciate you.”

The 2024 Miss Hospitality Ashleigh Valerie Johnson crowned Book and encouraged Book to enjoy the year ahead.

“I’m so excited for you Charlotte; this is going to be such an exciting year for you,” Johnson said. “Mississippi is the only state that does Miss Hospitality and it’s such a good way for you to get involved in your state.”

Anna Simmons, the 2022 Natchez Miss Hospitality, also took part in the ceremony.

“For those of you not familiar with Miss Hospitality, it is one of the only pageants in the state that is brain-based,” Simmons said. “I got to meet 24 of my best friends the year I went.”

Murray said the organization selected this year’s Miss Hospitality from among several candidates. “We did not have a traditional pageant,” she said, adding that the group hopes to return to that format next year.

Book will represent Natchez and the Miss Hospitality state competition in Hattiesburg in July. She is available now for community events and activities.

“We want to give her lots of opportunities to speak,” Arceneaux-Mathis said.

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