Special to The Post-Searchlight

“Peanut Proud 2012” will be held Saturday, March 24, in Blakely, Ga. The day will begin with a 5K & Fun Run at 8 a.m., starting and ending on the courthouse square. The Peanut Proud Parade will follow at 10 a.m. Daryle Singletary and Andy Griggs will provide morning entertainment.

The peanut recipe contest is back. Kid games, bounce houses, art and crafts, antiques and collectibles, food vendors, and a Poker Run add to the festivities. That afternoon, award-winning John Berry (“Your Love Amazes Me”), Clovers & Company, Hwy 55, and Stormy Monday will perform live on the courthouse square. The day will conclude with a grand finale street dance featuring Three Times A Lady and The Fabulous Classics!

During the celebration, the Georgia Peanut Commission, the National Peanut Buying Points Association, The Peanut Institute, and the National Peanut Board will be on site oil-roasting delicious peanuts, grilling PB&J sandwiches, and handing out free samples of peanut products and nutritional information.

The 2012 Peanut Proud queens will be chosen the weekend before the celebration with a beauty pageant on March 17, at the Early County High School Magnum Auditorium. The 2012 Peanut Proud Scholarship will be awarded to a Food Safety graduate student the day of the expo.

For more information on Peanut Proud 2012, please call (229) 723-2802 or visit the official website of Peanut Proud, Inc. at www.peanutproud.com.