By SARAH GRAHAM/ For the Advertiser

When crowned 2018 Miss Peach Queen, Zoey Collum said, “I actually don’t even believe it actually happened.”

It was safe to say she was the crowd favorite of the evening as the auditorium chanted her name.

“I am so excited! I can’t wait to serve the county,” Collum said.

It is the first Peach title she has ever won.

According to Collum, she is looking forward to the Dothan Peanut Festival to see how if differs from the Peach Festival.

The top five were chosen in random order to go through the interview process.

The question was read by 2017 Miss Peach Abigail Porter.

Porter asked, “If you were chosen as Miss Peach Queen, what would you do to promote the pageant and encourage participation from other girls in this county?”

“If given the opportunity to be Miss Peach, I would promote and encourage participation through additional scholarship opportunities; academic excellence is a great incentive. I would also love to promote the reason why we have the Lions Club is for service. As Miss Peach, I would be a representative of the Lions Club through my service,” Collum said.

Her court consists of fourth alternate Grace Ann Porter, third alternate Anna Mims, second alternate and casual wear winner Aubrie Hall, first alternate Brianna Price, and Miss Congeniality and 2018 Miss Peach Queen Zoey Collum.

Abigail Porter in her farewell speech thanked all who had been a part in her life in the past year.

To her Peach sisters, Porter said, “I strive to be a great role model for you each and every day,” and thanked them for allowing her to be their Miss.

“To the new Miss Peach, take tons of pictures, laugh at everything, stay true to yourself and never forget where and why you started,” said Porter.

She left with the encouragement to soak up every moment and use the title to do good things for Chilton County.

There were several awards and scholarships given away throughout the evening.

The providers of the Miss Peach scholarships include Shelby Baptist Medical Center, Realty South Chilton, People’s Southern Bank, Restore Outpatient Therapy Services and St. Vincent’s Chilton.

The Shelby Baptist Future Leaders Scholarship was established in 2016 and is a $1,500 scholarship to be presented to a 9th – to 12th- grade contestant of the Peach Pageant to further education.

In order to receive this, the contestant had to submit an essay of 500 words, answering the question, “What is the biggest health, education or social issue facing your community today?”

A resume also was required, including work experience, extracurricular activities and honors or awards.

Madalyn Barrington wrote an essay on mental health and was presented this scholarship by Frank Thomas.

“If you read the newspapers, (or) look at websites, you know right now mental health is a significant issue in our communities, in our state and across the nation,” Thomas said.

The Clanton Lions Club presented several scholarships.

The contestants were presented with the question “What could the Lions Club do to increase participation in the Junior Miss category?”

Judges choose the answer that was the most creative, innovative and current.

This scholarship was worth $750 and presented to Brianna Price.

Price also received the St. Vincent scholarship of $1,500.

The Clanton Lions Club also presented two 2018 Miss Peach Community Scholarships of $500 each to Mary Addison Minor and Anna Mims.

The 2018 Clanton Lions Club Outstanding Achievement Scholarship of $500 was presented to Zoey Collum.

People’s Southern Bank presented a $500 scholarship to Emilee Smith.

Smith also received the 2018 Chilton County Peach Festival Scholarship by the Clanton Lions Club of $500.

The Realty South scholarship of $1,000 was presented to Courtney Penton.

Along with these scholarships, Miss Peach Zoey Collum received a $2,000 scholarship and first alternate Briana Price received a $1,000 scholarship.

Andy Davidson received a plaque from the Clanton Lions Club for his time and dedication and for building the stage setup for the Peach Festival.

The Most Photogenic winners were recognized and presented with a plaque.

Winners included the following: For 0-5 months, Jesslyn Kade Little; for 6-11 months, Isla Robinson; for one year, Adleigh Colley; for two year, Kashlyn Taylor Burton; for three year, Scarlett Kate Stockdale; for four year, Brynlee Davis; for five year, Ellie Harrison and Hadley Lively; for six-seven year, Lily Claire Burke; for eight year, Kimber Ann Porter and Mary Henning Dale; for nine year, Lexie Kate Hayes; for 10 year, Maggie Shaner; for 11-12 year, Anna Cate Burnett; for 13-15 year, Chloe Olivia Haggard; for 16 year, Madalyn Barrington; for 17 year, Zoey Collum; for 18-19 year, Mary Addison Minor and overall winner Sophie Oaks.

See all photos from this event here.