Julie Sanders will represent the Peanut Butter Festival as its chief ambassador for the 2008-09 year.

Sanders of Goshen was crowned Miss Peanut Butter Festival at the annual Peanut Butter Festival Pageant on Saturday night in Brundidge. Six other pageant winners will also represent the annual harvest and heritage celebration.

Adriann Davis was crowned Teen Miss, Paige Chancellor, Junior Miss; Colited Ramos, Young Miss; Candace Moore, Little Miss, Felicity Cousins, Tiny Miss and Alisa Kay Culpepper, Petite Miss.

The Peanut Butter Festival Pageant is sponsored annually by the local branch of the American Red Cross. Although it is a fundraiser for the Red Cross, the pageant is also an opportunity for the ambassadors to learn more about the county in which they live and the role that agriculture plays in its economy while promoting the annual Peanut Butter Festival.

“The pageant winners will be involved in many activities to promote the Peanut Butter Festival and in other community events during the year,” said Jane Thrash, Red Cross branch director. “They will get off to a fast start this week at the Pike County Fair where they will promote the Peanut Butter Festival.”

The newly crowed ambassadors will be involved in other promotions of the Peanut Butter Festival including radio and television interviews.

“They will assist visitors at the Peanut Butter Festival in Brundidge on Saturday, Oct. 25, and direct them to the different activities,” Thrash said. “They will make peanut butter ice cream from scratch and in an old-fashioned crank-type freezer and give free samples to Festival visitors. They will also make the state’s largest PB&J sandwich and have peanut butter cookies for the public.”

The Peanut Butter Festival ambassadors will participate in the Nutter Butter Parade at 1 p.m. on Festival day.

“The ambassadors will be real busy from now until the Peanut Butter Festival and then they will continue to represent the Festival throughout the year,” Thrash said. “They will participate in the Pike County High School and Troy University homecoming parades and other communitywide events.”

Special awards were presented to Brandi Adamson, who sold the most tickets to the pageant, and Shea Sawyer, who sold the most Hero Squares.

Last year’s ambassadors, Miss Peanut Butter Festival Keena Roberts, Young Miss MaKayla Calhoun and Teen Miss Jodi Long, participated in the pageant for the last time as reigning ambassadors.