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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

“There is no way I just did that.”

Every Chilton County Peach Queen has her own unique story about her journey to the crown, and the new 2025 Miss Peach Queen Kourtney Benson’s comes after a long hiatus and in her first Peach Pageant.

Benson started participating in beauty pageants as early as two years old and frequently did the school pageants until she was in fourth grade. She enjoyed them, but her focus went more towards school and other extracurricular activities and she took a break from pageants.

“There for a minute I was not as interested in it as I used to be, and then I got back into it,” Benson said. “I think the break kind of helped me prepare more for it too.”

Benson never did a Peach Pageant before at any level, but it was always something she wanted to try. She grew up around Peach Park and peaches with her mother, Kim, working there each summer throughout her childhood. Benson’s aunt and uncle were peach farmers themselves, and now she is following her mother’s footsteps working at Peach Park each summer.

“It has been a part of my life since I was born, and I love it there,” Benson said.

After a long hiatus, this felt like the right time for Benson to throw her name into the Miss Peach Pageant and get back on stage. Her last pageant was over six years ago, so she took the time to prepare in every aspect. Benson met with people to work on her walks, and she dedicated a large amount of time to preparing for the interview. The Peach Pageant was the first one Benson has done that included an interview.

“I researched everything I could about how to walk in a big pageant because I had never done a Miss category before,” Benson said.

During the pageant, Benson felt confident and her nerves were subdued for the most part. They were felt the most during her interview but went away afterwards. Following the interview, things went by really fast giving Benson no time to think until the time came to stand on stage and hear the names called one by one.

Fourth, third and second alternates were called without Benson hearing her name, which meant it was all or nothing for the rising junior in the end. And she got it all.

“In my mind, I thought I was not going to place at all with it being my first pageant back,” Benson said. “I thought, ‘There is no way I did that well on it.’ When they called my name, I was at a loss for words … It was shocking because I thought ‘There is no way I just did that.’”

Now as queen, Benson is excited for the year ahead and to be a voice for the peach farmers in Chilton County like the ones in her family. She understands the value and importance of peaches and farming overall for the county, and she is enthusiastic about spreading those good values across the state during her reign.

“I just wanted to do (the Peach Pageant) one time, and if it doesn’t work out it doesn’t work out, it was not what the Lord had for me,” Benson said. “It was such a good experience, and I am so glad I went through with doing it this year.”

Benson will be a junior at Verbena High School this fall and is adding Miss Peach Queen to an already busy schedule that includes co-captain of the school’s cheer team, e school’s yearbook editor and the secretary for the school’s Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS) program. With a lot of things going on, putting everything first when they come up and trying to be the best she can be are part of Benson’s plans for the future.