Princess appearances spotted at local parties

Kathryn Morton is setting out to prove that fairy tales can come true. Her's goes something like, once there was a princess who started out with a small company in Kalamazoo and it grew and it grew and pretty soon it had franchises all over the United States.

It's early days for such aspirations. Her company, Once Upon a Princess, is just 18 months old. But it will be hiring its second employee soon and this year Morton has all the weekend business she can handle.

Once Upon a Princess is a fairy tale character company. Morton says that although the concept is well-known in larger metropolitan areas the idea of hiring a princess to attend children's parties has been a new one for Southwest Michigan.

Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Little Mermaid and the Snow Princess are the royals that can be invited to a wide variety of parties. The visiting princess leads story telling, dancing, face painting and games.  Some girls request manicures, others like to dive into the the royal dress up trunk. Teas and photo ops with the princess are other options.

Tucked in among the fun stuff, Morton offers lessons with universal messages on treating one another with respect, obeying parents, being a good servant -- kind to one another and good stewards of the environment. For parents who are comfortable with a Christian message, Morton also offers more pointed teachings about God.

She was employed by a similar company after she graduated from college with a degree in theater arts and biblical studies. She went on to direct theater, particularly the technical end of it. She currently is pursuing a masters in teaching, to complement her business.

She decided to start her own company and has been building it since then. This year she is branching out with Princess Day Camp, which will be part of the Miss Michigan Pageant in Muskegon. She hopes she will be working with more pageants across the state in the future.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Sourece: Kathryn Morton, Once Upon a Princess