Amid the expectations and rumors of peaches nearing picking, 120 young girls and women registered for this year’s group of Miss Peach contestants Sunday.

Those interested in participating in this year’s pageants, which are scheduled to begin Saturday, June 20 with the Little Miss Peach pageant, had just this one day to register.

“We are ecstatic with the turnout,” Peach Festival Coordinator Richard Davis said Monday. “We were worried about the economy affecting the number more than it did. But, it was a great turnout.”

The 120 registered contestants is slightly lower than last year’s total number of contestants but well above expectations.

With registration and orientation out of the way, pageant activity will slow down a little bit until rehearsals begin in June.

“It will really pick up when we start rehearsals and go all the way through the parade,” Davis said.

A total of 35 registered to compete in the Little Miss Peach division, while 48 registered for the Young Miss Peach division. In the Junior Miss Peach category, 24 girls signed up while 13 will compete in the Miss Peach category.

“We really have 13 good girls in the Miss Peach category,” Davis said. “The number we have competing will really allow that pageant to move faster.”