BERLIN — After a hiatus of five years, the Berlin Cotton Festival made its reappearance last October and this year it will expand its festivities to include the Miss Cotton Pageant.

The City of Berlin will be holding the Cotton Festival on Saturday, Sept. 27, with events starting at 10 a.m. There will be arts and crafts booths, food and drinks, and “fun booths” for children. The festival will be held at the Berlin City Park. Anyone interested in renting a booth should call Barbara Williams at 324-2354. Booths rent for $25 or $30 if electricity is needed. Information can also be obtained from the Berlin City Hall at 324-2444.

The Miss Cotton Pageant 2008 will be held at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20, a week before the Cotton Festival. It will be held in the Sunset Elementary School gym.

Contestants must be between the ages of 2 - 18 and have a Colquitt County address. The basic entry fee is $25 but optional categories can be entered at $2 per category. These include prettiest dress, prettiest smile, prettiest face, and prettiest hair. They can enter all of the optional categories, one or none. Entry forms may be picked up at Berlin City Hall or can be requested via e-mail to cottonfestival08@yahoo.com. Entry forms need to be postmarked by Sept. 5. For more information, call Melissa Weathers at 921-7247 or 324-2209. An individual, business, or organization interested in helping to sponsor the pageant, can also contact Weathers at the above numbers.

There will be a charge for admission at the door on the night of the pageant. Adults (12 and over) are $5, 12 and under are $3, and four and under are free.

The Miss People’s Choice will be awarded to the contestant with the most votes from the public. Every girl is in charge of getting her own vote. Each vote costs $3 and the girl with the most votes will be listed in the pageant program. There will be a winner in every age group. There is a minimum of four votes to compete in the Miss People’s Choice contest. The deadline for entry is Sept. 5 and checks and money orders can be made payable to Berlin Cotton Festival.

The Cotton Festival is looking for entertainers to perform during the event. The performance should be suitable for families such as dancing, singing or playing. The entertainers will not be paid for their performances but could see it as an opportunity for exposure. To obtain a registration form, e-mail the request to cottonfestival08@yahoo.com.