The Pilot Club of Suffolk will help kick off the &uot;Silver Anniversary Peanut Fest&uot; with the help of a Queen and her court and they will meet the public for the first time during a special event in their honor.

Pilot’s &uot;Queen’s Luncheon&uot; will feature the Queen, Sarah Catherine McPhail, who won the honor of presiding over Peanut Fest events by submitting her essay on this year’s Fest.

&uot;Peanut Fest at 25-A Quarter Century of Sterling Silver Celebration,&uot; by McPhail, describes the theme of the festival and its heritage.

Queen Sarah Catherine is the 18-year old daughter of Barbara and Phil McPhail of Traverse Circle. She is a student at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy where she is the editor-in-chief of the yearbook staff, a Student Athletic Trainer, Operation Smile, Students Against Drunk Driving, and she served on the prom committee. She was a junior varsity cheerleader, and helps with Habitat for Humanity. She volunteers with fund-raisers for her school, and the Suffolk Nansemond Historical Society. She is heavily involved in Main Street United Methodist Church activities and programs including the Salvation Army’s Soup Kitchen, and she’s currently employed at Johnson’s Garden Center.

Medicine is a possible major in the queen’s future, and she has taken many honors and awards at school.

Brynn Portafe, 17, is the daughter of Terry and Tracy Portafe of Chesapeake. She attends Nansemond River High School.

Heather Carroll, of Reids Ferry Road, is the 18-year old daughter of Sue and Rick Carroll and she is a student at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy.

The daughter of Jackie and Bill Harris, Laura Harris, is a 16-year old student at Lakeland High School.

Kerri Shavaun Brown is the daughter of Melinda and Jackson P. Brown of Chesapeake, and the 17-year-old attends Lakeland High School.

Nichole Tomasone, 18, of Chesapeake, is the daughter of Stephen Tomasone and she attends Nansemond River High School.

Along with meeting the royalty of Peanut Fest, those attending the Queen’s Luncheon will be treated to a fall and holiday fashion show, courtesy of Belk’s of Suffolk. Models from the store will walk the runway to show off the latest fashions available at Belk’s.

Master of Ceremonies for the event is Leroy Edwards, who is a &uot;Co-Pilot&uot; to wife and Pilot Club of Suffolk member Jackie Edwards.

The fashion show will follow a meal prepared by members of Pilot. Tables will be adorned with decorations fashioned by the Pilots. Those decorations are available for purchase following the luncheon.

This year’s Peanut Festival marks its Silver Anniversary and Pilot is celebrating their 23rd annual luncheon in the queen’s honor. Once she is crowned at noon, Thursday, Oct. 3rd, at the Suffolk Shrine Club, she will preside over the parade and the Peanut Butter Sculpture Contest at the festival, as well as many other city events.

Tickets to the Queen’s Luncheon are $15 per person, and they are available by phoning Mary Ellen Browning at Essex Bank at 539-1555.