Kelcie Knowles is the 2013 Miss Peach Queen. She is the 17-year-old daughter of Shawn and Debbie Knowles of Jemison. She is a senior at Jemison High School.
Peach Living Magazine: What does it mean to you to be crowned the 2013 Miss Peach Queen?
Kelcie Knowles: It has always been a childhood dream of mine to be crowned Miss Peach. When I heard Mr. Al (Headley) call my name, I felt shocked and excited because I knew I finally accomplished what I have been working so hard for since 2006, when I first started competing in the Peach pageants. I am so honored and blessed to be chosen as this year’s Miss Peach Queen.
PL: What are your primary goals during your reign?
KK: My first goal is to be an amazing role model to the young girls of Chilton County as well as Little, Young and Junior Miss Peach Queens. I also look forward to being able to represent Chilton County one last time as a Peach Queen. I know the responsibilities, hard work and dedication it is to be a Peach Queen, and I hope I can pass along some of the qualities Hillary Cleckler, the 2007 Miss Peach, taught me when I was her Young Miss Peach sister.
PL: What aspect of the Miss Peach Pageant, if any, did you prepare for the most? Why?
KK: Swimsuit was the first part I prepared for because you have to be physically fit as well as have tons of confidence to be able to walk across the stage in a one-piece swimsuit. I also prepared the most for the on-stage question and the interview portion of the Miss Peach Pageant. I believe that a Miss Peach should not only be physically fit but able to speak and communicate well in front of others. Miss Peach is the biggest representative of Chilton County, the 160 farmers that make this festival possible and the Clanton Lions Club, which sponsors the festivals. Representing these amazing and generous people is the biggest job a Miss Peach has, and I worked very hard to be able to make sure if I was chosen I would be able to represent them very well.
PL: How do you think your year as Miss Peach will help you in the future?
KK: Being Miss Peach will help me be able to represent while being humbled and knowing I always have people looking up to me. Knowing that I have to speak in front of others used to be very difficult for me, but with the practice while preparing for the pageant and speaking at numerous events already, I have been able to calm my nerves and speak with confidence, and I actually have fun publicly speaking now!
PL: Who do you look up to, and why?
KK: I have two very special women I look up to. Hillary Cleckler, the 2007 Miss Peach Queen, and Susan Hamm, the 2005 Miss Peach Queen. These two women have helped me over the years, and they are a big influence in my life. I hope to be able to take the qualities I have learned from them and pass them on to my younger sister, Bella, and my Peach Sisters.
PL: What are your plans for after high school?
KK: I would love to attend The University of Alabama and major in pre-calculus and chemistry. I have loved these two subjects, and I cannot decide which one I would want to major in so I picked both. I hope to be accepted into medical school so I can then pursue my dream of becoming a surgeon. I hope to be able to make sure that every little girl and boy’s father comes home to them because unfortunately mine didn’t come home one day.
PL: What are your favorite hobbies and activities?
KK: I love to dance. I am the only Chilton County High School dance line member this year that has been on the line all four years. I love to swim, shop, read, spend time with family and friends, and recently I picked back up playing softball, which I have fallen in love with. I work for Knights farm, and being able to get out in the peach fields and pick peaches then take them to the markets to sell them is fun! I am so glad I was able to work with a huge commodity the past two years that has put Chilton County on the map!
PL: If you had one day to go anywhere and do anything, where would you go and what would you do?
KK: I would love to visit Hawaii and go to the Pearl Harbor memorial.
PL: If you could have an endless supply of one thing, what would it be?
KK: That is a tough question. If I had an endless supply of anything, it would most definitely be all types of books! I love to read and having an endless supply of books at my hand would be amazing!
PL: What is the last book you read?
KK: The last book I read was the Great Gatsby. I have not been able to read much because I have been reading peach and Chilton County facts. This book is amazing, and I loved the plot and characters.
PL: Who is your favorite celebrity? Why?
KK: My favorite celebrity would most definitely be Taylor Swift. I used to not like her until one day while driving in the car with my mother, she told me she watched a documentary on Taylor Swift and how she was bullied and told she would never make it to be a celebrity. I think her hard work and dedication is amazing, and knowing how she accomplished a goal she was told she would never accomplish made her my favorite celebrity.
PL: What is something people might not know about you?
KK: I can read a thousand page book in less than a day and then be able to summarize it for you perfectly three weeks after I read it.
PL: Describe one of your favorite childhood memories.
KK: My favorite childhood memory would most definitely be the minute Mr. Al called my name out for the 2007 Young Miss Peach Queen.
PL: What is your favorite thing about Chilton County?
KK: I love the amazing Southern hospitality Chilton County offers. Wherever you go, people wave and smile at you, and I love being able to grow up in an amazing community. Also knowing when a tragedy strikes you always sees the immediate response from neighbors, and other people in this community automatically help out in some way. I take great pride in knowing that wherever I go and if I say Chilton County, people always compliment our amazing peaches and Southern hospitality.