Cornelia’s Big Red Apple Festival started 29 years ago with a beauty pageant. Through the years the festival continued, the pageant did not. Now, efforts are underway to revive it.
The (re)inaugural Miss Cornelia Big Red Apple Festival (MBRAF) is scheduled to take place on October 1, 2016. It’s being sponsored by the Miss Georgia Northlands Scholarship Pageant and WTC Productions and is endorsed by the City of Cornelia.
Pageant organizer Lisa Phillips says she reached out to festival organizers when the idea came to her. “I love pageantry,” she says, “and wanted to bring a pageant just for the BRAF and here we are!”
Contestants will compete in nine different age divisions:
- Baby Miss 0-11 months (short dress)
- Wee Miss 1- 2 years (short dress)
- Tiny Miss 3–4 years (short or long dress)
- Little Miss 5–6 years (floor length dress)
- Petite Miss 7–8 years (floor length dress)
- Young Miss 9 – 10 years (floor length dress)
- Junior Miss 11 – 12 years (floor length dress)
- Teen Miss 13 – 15 years (floor length dress)
- Miss 16 -19 years (floor length dress)
Phillips says older divisions – Mrs./Ms. division Ages 18 & up (married, divorced or widow) and a Senior division (ages 55 & up married, divorced, or widow) – will be added if there’s enough interest.
There will be a People’s choice Miss Big Red Apple Festival Princess chosen from among the participants.
Pageantry & charity
Cornelia’s Community Development Manager Jessie Owensby says the city is welcoming the pageant and actively looking for ways to involve the winners in events during this year’s Big Red Apple Festival on October 8th. “The winners of the pageant will have a booth and will walk around the festival with their winning sashes,” she says. “We may also have some of the girls help present awards for the car show and the apple pie competition!”
This year’s pageant is a fundraiser for the Cornelia Library. “A portion of the proceeds will be donated,” says Phillips. She adds, “My main focus for the Miss Cornelia Big Red Apple Festival Pageant is to create a fun, memorable experience for each girl, promote positive pageantry and to benefit the local charity.”
Click here to download pageant details and entry form
The early entry fee deadline is September 3, 2016. For more information email [email protected].
