Sanders with pageant titles

By JAINE TREADWELL

Features Editor

March 6, 2000 11 PM

Christina Bedingfield and Kelsey Sanders will wear the crowns of Miss Brundidge and Little Miss Brundidge during the first year of the new Millennium.

Christina, a Troy State University junior from Montgomery, and Kelsey a Goshen Elementary School first grader, were crowned at the annual Miss and Little Miss Brundidge Pageant in Brundidge Saturday night.

They will represent Brundidge during 2000 and will also be the town’s representatives at the National Peanut Festival in Dothan in October.

As winner of the Miss Brundidge title, Christina received a $2,000 Carter Brothers Scholarship. Kelsey was awarded $300 in cash to assist with the expenses of competing in the national pageant.

Christina said she is looking forward to getting to know the people of Brundidge and the town she will represent.

"I know that Brundidge is called Antique City and that it is known for its annual Peanut Butter Festival," she said. "It will be exciting to be a part of promoting the town and the festival."

Miss Brundidge’s official duties include attending ribbon cuttings, community events and riding in parades.

Christina said she will make time in her busy schedule to be available to represent Brundidge at every function possible.

At Troy State, she is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta social society, the Adams

Center Union Board, vice president of Campus Relations, the ACEI Club, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, the SGA and Gamma Beta Phi honor society.

Christina also plays intramural softball, basketball and football.

"I like to stay busy," she said, laughing. "And, I have to have time to go home and watch my brother play ball. He is a varsity athlete at Macon East in Montgomery and I support him every chance I get."

Christina is a graduate of Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery. She said a highlight of her high school days was having the opportunity to sing at Carnegie Hall.

"Two of us from the Madrigal Singers were chosen to go to New York and perform on stage at Carnegie Hall," she said. "That was the thrill of a lifetime and something I’ll never forget."

Wearing the crown of Miss Brundidge is also a thrill for Christina. As a special education major at TSU, she said she would like to be able to visit the schools in Brundidge and get to know the students and let them get to know her as Miss Brundidge.

Kelsey, a first grader at Goshen Elementary School, and she said she was surprised to win the title of Little Miss Brundidge but also very excited.

Kelsey is not new to pageants. She enjoys participating in them and has worn the titles of Tiny Miss Brundidge and Petit Miss Goshen. She also placed in the Little Miss Troy pageant.

Kelsey said she is looking forward to participating in the activities in Brundidge, especially the parades, and going to the National Peanut Festival and being in that parade.

"On the way home from the pageant, Kelsey was so excited about winning and she asked me where her thousand dollars were," said Kelsey’s mother Cindy. "We laughed and told her she didn’t get a thousand dollars but that was okay with her. She was so proud of the gifts she got. One of the gifts was a bear with a dress on and Kelsey loved it. It will be a special memento from the pageant."

Kelsey is a typical first grader who enjoys going to school and playing outside.

She has a black poodle who is her best animal friend and she spends many happy hours with him. When she’s not outside playing, Kelsey can often be found inside with a book.

"I love to read," she said. "It’s fun to read."

And, it’s also fun to dance and Kelsey is good at that, too. She plans to combine all of her talents and interests as Little Miss Brundidge. And she thinks this year will be one of the most exciting years of her young life."

Proud parents of the 2000 Miss Brundidge and Little Miss Brundidge are Charles and Patricia Bedingfield of Montgomery and Tim and Cindy Sanders of Shellhorn.