Features Editor

Holly Graham, a Charles Henderson High School junior, was crowned Miss Troy 2000 at the annual Miss Troy pageant Saturday night.

For Holly, the pageant was supposed to be a preparation for the Pike County Junior Miss Program in her senior year.

"I really did it as an experience," she said, with a smile, "kind of a warm up to get me used to being in pageant again."

Holly is not a seasoned pageant person. She had not participated in a pageant since she won the title of Little Miss in the Valentine pageant in Brundidge when she was in the second grade.

"I thought I needed some experience, especially in the interview," Holly said. "I didn’t expect to win. I couldn’t believe it."

The surprise was far overshadowed by the excitement of the moment.

"I was so excited – I’m still so excited," Holly said. "To be able to represent my hometown is a real honor. I’m looking forward to promoting Troy and being a part of all of the activities and events this year – from ribbon cuttings and parades to representing Troy in the National Peanut Festival in Dothan in the fall."

As the first Miss Troy of the new Millennium, Holly will be involved in the city’s open house May 6 which is the culminating event for Celebration 2000.

However, her first official act as Miss Troy 2000 will be to co-emcee the Little Miss Troy pageant Saturday night.

Making the night even more special is that Holly’s youngest sister, Alex is the reigning Little Miss Troy and she will relinquish her crown at the pageant.

"And she really doesn’t want to have to give it up," Holly said, laughing.

Wearing crowns is a family tradition in the Graham family. All five girls have held titles. Holly’s older sisters, Hope, 23, and Joy, 20, both wore the title of Little Miss Brundidge when the family lived there. And, both of her younger sisters Megan, 12, and Alex were crowned Little Miss Troy.

"I was the only one who was not a Little Miss," Holly said, laughing. "I got some good -natured teasing about that."

Now that Holly is a "big" Miss, she has a tight schedule to fill.

She is a member of the CHHS varsity cheerleading squad and she calls that the "funnest thing I could do."

She was a member of the national championship squad in 1998 which was the thrill of a lifetime. The squad placed third in nationals in 1999 and is the current state champion of the World Cheerleading Association.

"We have tryouts coming up April 28 and so this is a busy time for cheerleading, too," she said.

Holly is a member of the tennis team and participates in a number of clubs at the school. She is also a member of the Twilighter Club, a social and service organization.

She is a member of First Baptist Church of Troy and participates in the young choir and all youth activities.

"Church is very important to me," she said. "Church is very important to my whole family. We attend on a regular basis and I am blessed to come from a family with strong faith."

Holly’s future plans are to attend the University of Alabama and major in interior design.

The only drawback to that is that it might take her away from her hometown.

"What I’d really like to do is come back home but, by majoring in interior design, I might not be able to do that," she said. "But home and family are so important to me. My parents and grandparents have been so supportive and I want to be as close to them as possible. I won’t live so far away that I can’t get home often. That’s just something I won’t do."

However, Holly does enjoy traveling and, in May, her mom and dad, Danny and Cornelia will take her on a "senior" trip to Spain.

"While there, we will take a ferry to Africa so the whole trip is going to be exciting," she said.

For Holly Graham the new Miss Troy, the whole year 2000 has the promise of being exciting and very rewarding.