Pageant News Bureau - Gwinnett girls

The girls of Gwinnett

Photos by Joe Whiteko / PNB

Allison Hutto is crowned by Lauren Jollay, Miss Gwinnett County 2002

Although most people in the world have never heard of it, Georgia's Gwinnett County is gradually becoming a competitive powerhouse. The three most recent Miss Georgia USAs all came from Gwinnett, a populous suburban county northeast of Atlanta.

Most recently, a former Miss Gwinnett, Amy Robach, has become a star of TV news, co-anchoring an afternoon program on MSNBC. Don't think current events can be sexy? Tune her in and be convinced.

And one more thing: Although PNB was organized elsewhere, its administrative center is in Gwinnett County. In that sense, Gwinnett is the home of pageant.com, and therefore the heart of the whole pageant cosmos. Quite a responsibility.

Gwinnett is named for Button Gwinnett, a legendary signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Because his life was cut short by a duel, he put his name on very few other documents, so his signature is one of the most valuable in the world.

With our keenly developed sense of history, we at PNB decided to feature the county's "signature" competition, the Miss Gwinnett County Pageant. We can only say that we should have done this sooner. The people made us feel like we had been born here.

Gwinnett was rural only a generation ago, and its Miss Georgia preliminary is still held at the county fair. Today, the livestock for the fair have to be trucked in, but the beautiful girls are homegrown. The contest is a charming blend of the traditional and the modern.

Allison Hutto, Miss Gwinnett County

Allison Hutto of Lawrenceville was the winner in September 2003. She will advance to Miss Georgia. She also was the talent, interview and evening gown winner. The first runner-up was Claire Faulkner, and the second runner-up was Aundrea Poole. The third runner-up was Amber Blount, and the swimsuit winner was Emily Plimpton.

PNB salutes Gwinnett County. We cover the world, but we're glad to call this friendly corner of America our home.