ROAD TO COLUMBUS--MISS GEORGIA 2003 IN REVIEW

After five years of near-misses, dedication, and hard-work, 24-year-old Andrea Lee Bailey of Evans, Ga., just west of Augusta, finally won the Miss Georgia title on her fifth and final try. That amazing run included three first runner-up finishes in four years, and even a Miss National Sweetheart crown along the way. So how did this graduate of Georgia State University win her way to Atlantic City for the Miss America Competition? Sit back and read on, for what you're about to read will not only amaze you, but make you cry tears of joy.

1998: Ms. Bailey makes her debut on the Miss Georgia stage representing her hometown franchise. While another fresh-faced contestant from the southwest Georgia town of Bainbridge named April Brinson stole the hearts of many by taking home the title that year, the then 19-year-old finished as the fourth runner-up. Little did anybody know that night that this classy, talented brunette would be a prime contender for the Miss Georgia title in the coming years.

1999: Andrea wins the Miss Southeast Georgia title, giving her a second straight trip to Columbus. That year, Osjha Anderson, like Ms. Bailey a five-time contestant from the small southeast Georgia town of Glennville, would win the crown. Not only would it become the first of three first runner-up finishes for the soon-to-be sound recording major at Georgia State University, it would also be the first step in a long maturation process for the then 20-year-old. Later that Labor Day weekend, though, Ms. Bailey would win the Miss National Sweetheart contest in a tiny town in Illinois known as Hoopeston.

2000: With the National Sweetheart contest now behind her, Andrea Bailey proceeded to win the Miss Northwest Georgia contest, and advance to the Miss Georgia competition for the third straight year. Surely, the third time would be the charm for this east Georgia native, who by then had adjusted to the rigors of being a college student in the bustling, sprawling metropolis of Atlanta. However, a recent graduate of the State University of West Georgia from the small west central Georgia city of La Grange stole the spotlight, as Pamela Kennedy won the 2000 Miss Georgia crown. For the second straight year, Andrea takes home the first runner-up award.

2001: After finishing her year of service as Miss Northwest Georgia, Andrea enters the Miss Atlanta contest, only to finish first runner-up (again) to Brooke Anderson, who would become a first runner-up herself to the lady who won the crown that year, Emily Foster. Andrea Bailey was nowhere to be found on the Miss Georgia stage.

2002: Ms. Bailey enters the first-ever Miss Coastal Georgia contest in the historic district of Savannah. And in front of a enthusiastic crowd inspired by the events of 9-11-01, Andrea wins her way back to the Miss Georgia contest. However, a recent blonde-haired graduate of the University of Georgia, Amy Mulkey, of Gainesville, beat out Ms. Bailey for the 2002 title. Once again, Andrea must settle for first runner-up.

Now, fast forward to 2003!

Oct. 5, 2002: Andrea surrenders her Miss Coastal crown to a former Miss Cobb County, Kandice Pelletier, an exceptionally talented dancer who finished in the top 15 at Miss Georgia earlier that summer. Little did anyone inside the glorified walls of the SCAD Trustees theater on Broughton Street know that the fates of both Andrea and Kandice would be soon intertwined.

Feb 8, 2003: At the Miss Savannah contest, Ms. Bailey, by now a graduate of Georgia State University and a producer of commercials at a group of Savannah radio stations, wins her fifth trip to the Miss Georgia competition. After it was over, yours truly remembered the moment at the home of Tim and Natalie Strickland, both of whom serve on the Miss Coastal board. Among those moments was chatting with Kandice Pelletier, as well as having a conversation with another contestant in the Savannah contest, Ashley Turner, who had competed in the Miss Atlanta competition just two weeks earlier. And to top it all off, Tim Strickland had a wonderful speech to pump up all in attendance. Moving right along...

MISS GEORGIA 2003...THE FINAL PUSH

June 25, 2003: Wednesday night brought this writer into the wide-open spaces of the River Center for the first time. And obviously, getting inside the Bill Heard Theatre was a sight for welcome eyes. Having said that, yours truly managed to get a seat at Orchestra Door C, number 201, right behind Andrea Bailey's family, which included her parents, Stan and Janet Bailey. That night marked a first in Miss Georgia history, having two men emcee the pageant, as opposed to having one male and one female, in Michael Blair and Michael Ruddell, both of whom obviously added a sense of flair, humor, and enthusiasm. Also of note were the featured vocalists, Lenox, who gave this writer an especially warm fuzzy feeling with K Ci and Jo Jo's 2002 hit song, This Very Moment. Speaking of moments, Lauren Jollay, Miss Gwinnett County, won the talent award, while Kelley Bradshaw, Miss Albany, took home the swimsuit award, and of course, Andrea Bailey, would win the evening gown category. In fact, it would be the first of many loud "screamfests" uttered by the Bailey family during this humble week of competition, and heard by yours truly as well.

June 26: Night two of the 2003 Miss Georgia Competition brought more thrills to the packed house inside the River Center, as Andrea Bailey once again dominated the White bracket in winning the swimsuit preliminary. Meanwhile, Lauren Jollay, a student at UGA studying broadcast news, won the evening gown preliminary in her bracket, while Miss De Kalb County, Brandi Thornton, crooned her way to the win in talent. Ironically, despite representing a metro Atlanta area franchise, Ms. Thornton is a true country girl at heart, hailing from the tiny lower southeast Georgia town of Folkston, which is just a stone's throw away from Jacksonville, Fla., not to mention the Okefenokee Swamp.

Afterwards, this writer managed to pay a visit to the contestants in the White group. One of the better moments from this was hearing the chants of ANDREA! ANDREA! ANDREA! coming from the Miss Savannah camp as Ms. Bailey emerged. Also in the crowd was Faith Ossmann, the wife of Atlanta television personality Paul Ossmann, who once emceed the Miss Georgia contest to a statewide audience.

June 27: The third and final night of competition at Miss Georgia became particularly tense, as the White group performed in talent. While (you guessed it) Andrea Bailey completed the sweep of her bracket by winning the above-mentioned category, there were some surprises in the swimsuit category, as Miss Historic Southern Plains, Avis Porter, a graduate of Albany State University, and Miss Conyers Cherry Blossom, Cecilia Clark, shared the swimsuit title, and another Albanian, Joan-Marie Burns, won the evening wear award, which came as no surprise.

ONE MORE NIGHT!

June 28: Yours truly got about an hour's head start on the crowning night by just after six that fateful Saturday night, even buying a brand-new Miss Georgia t-shirt with a patriotic crown logo on the back. All of that aside, the field of 46 contestants in the Miss Georgia contest found itself narrowed down to the top 15. Excitement built as each contestant's name was called:

Joan-Marie Burns--Miss Spirit of Georgia

Jana Mathena--Miss Atlanta

Angela Varnadoe--Miss Georgia Agricultural Fairs

Brandi Thornton--Miss De Kalb County

Blair Riley--Miss Magnolia Midlands

Cecilia Clark--Miss Conyers Cherry Blossom

Kristen White--Miss Fulton County

Andrea Bailey--Miss Savannah

Kandice Pelletier--Miss Coastal Georgia

Erika Brayboy--Miss Georgia Southern University

Brooke Garner--Miss Troup County

Lauren Jollay--Miss Gwinnett County

Kelley Bradshaw--Miss Albany

April Dorsey--Miss Elliottia

Sarah Wyatt--Miss Cobb County

Before moving on, we might as well acknowledge the non-finalist winners for a job well done:

Talent: Monica Pang, Miss University of Georgia, Katie Baughman, Miss Northeast Georgia, Katie Freeman, Miss Lake Lanier.

Interview: Brandy Brooks, Miss Plantation Trace, Kayann Hayden, Miss Historic North Georgia, April Brooks, Miss Northwest Georgia.

Burma Davis Posey Christian Service Award: Janna Gay, Miss Emanuel County.

After a "cool" swimsuit competition, performed to the beat of It's Hot In Here, (no kidding!) the field was narrowed down even further, to the top ten:

Joan-Marie Burns

Kristen White

Jana Mathena

Blair Riley

Andrea Bailey

Angela Varnadoe

April Dorsey

Kandice Pelletier

Kelley Bradshaw

Lauren Jollay

The top ten then competed in talent, which included a stirring rendition to the popular tune of At Last by none other than April Dorsey, Miss Elliottia, which yours truly thought was a testament to the performance of young lady from Macon, who competed for the fifth and final time. Still, however, all good things must end, as after the evening gown competition the field was cut in half, as the "Two Michaels", Blair and Ruddell, announced the top five:

Kristen

Jana

Andrea

Joan-Marie

Kandice

For the final phase of the final round, former Macon television news anchor Rachel English (Miss Georgia 1995), who recently married WMAZ-TV news reporter Ben Hoover in the spring, interviewed the top five during the on-stage question. All five candidates talked about their platforms, as well as answering questions of a general nature. One of the most interesting platforms among the top five belong to Miss Spirit of Georgia, Joan-Marie Burns, whose work with Habitat For Humanity has taken her to every corner of America and the world, building homes for those less fortunate. However, a great platform alone does not a Miss Georgia make, as Amy Mulkey, Miss Georgia 2002, made her final walk.

THE FINAL RESULTS:

Now, things are really starting to get exciting, as the Two Michaels announced the runners-up and Miss Georgia 2003:

Fourth runner-up: Jana Mathena

Third runner-up: Joan-Marie Burns

Second runner-up: Kristen White

Now that left the two sister queens: Kandice Pelletier, Miss Coastal, and Andrea Bailey, Miss Savannah. Regardless of how it turned out, Tim and Natalie Strickland, as well as the remaining members of the Savannah/Coastal board, would head back to the coast happy. However, yours truly could see the Bailey family standing up with anticipation, waiting to see if the wait would be finally over. Then the first runner's up name was announced:

KANDICE PELLETIER, MISS COASTAL GEORGIA!!!

FINALLY!!!! THERE SHE IS!!! ANDREA BAILEY--MISS GEORGIA 2003!!! And this writer let out a loud scream like nobody would believe. The one time Miss National Sweetheart was finally going to the Miss America Competition in Atlantic City, Boardwalk and all! But if you thought the story ended there, just keep on reading. The post-competition reception at the Columbus Iron Works was one of the most memorable of all-time. Yours truly managed to get table 19, where I had the opportunity to meet the family of April Brooks, who as of this very moment (don't you just love that song) has a real-world job at Coca-Cola in Atlanta. In a memorable acceptance speech worthy of a true lady, Ms. Bailey thanked her supporters, including all the boards she worked with. She even thanked Kandice Pelletier for being a wonderful sister queen. Who knows, Kandice just might carve her own path to Miss Georgia one day, just like Andrea. And seeing Osjha Anderson, Miss Georgia 1999, whom Andrea watched having the crown pinned on her head four years earlier, as this writer left the Iron Works at the end of a memorable night, made it all the more complete.

But, in the end, the night really and truly belonged to Andrea Lee Bailey, who after a lot of hard work, dedication, and perserverance, reached her ultimate goal, being Miss Georgia, with the hopes of bigger glory to come in September. No matter what happens in Atlantic City this fall, the native of tiny Evans, Ga. will go down as one of the best Miss Georgia's of all time, for this is truly an accomplishment five years in the making.