Few, if any, of the 47 contestants in the Miss National Peanut Festival Pageant had a larger cheering section than Miss Pike County Rachel Brown.

She had the entire Troy University Alpha Gamma Delta sorority pulling for her and their cheers filled the Dothan Civic Center on Friday night, Oct. 17, as she competed for the title of Miss National Peanut Festival at the annual pageant.

“It was very exciting to have my sorority sisters and my family and other friends cheering for me,” Brown said. “Competing in the National Peanut Festival Pageant was a great experience and a lot of fun.”

The pageant began on Oct. 16, and ended on Saturday night, Oct. 18, with the Top Ten competing for the coveted title.

Brown was among them.

She was named to the Top Ten and was in the Top Five portfolio finalists and last, but certainly not least, Brown represented Pike County as the Scholastic Winner in the 2008 Miss National Peanut Festival Pageant.

“It was an honor to be named the Scholastic Winner and it was very exciting,” Brown said. “The winner is chosen by their GPA and ACT scores. So, it was a real honor.”

The contestants began their quest for the title on Thursday and had three days of “hard work” leading up to the awarding of the title on Saturday night.

“We didn’t get a lot of sleep for three days and we stayed busy all the time,” Brown said. “As part of the competition, we were required to write an essay on how we would have a peanut roundup and promote peanuts.”

The contestants were also judged on verbal communication, evening gown and portfolio.

“The portfolio includes your participation in clubs and activities and your community service,” Brown said. “Judges determined which portfolios were the best and I was excited to be in the top five.

As one of the Top Ten, Brown was quizzed about something that she would not want to repeat.

“That was not an easy question,” she said. “But I said that I would want to repeat everything that I have done. Even though some of the things that I have done were not necessarily good choices, they still have made me the person that I am today.”

Brown is a freshman at Troy University and is enrolled in the premed program. She is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta and the Freshmen Forum.

Although she is busy on the college scene, she will continue to budget her time so that she can fulfill her duties as Miss Pike County.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to representing Pike County at activities and events as Miss Pike County,” she said. “It’s already been a lot of fun and a great experience.”