Leroy Edwards is all dressed up this morning and ready to take on the honor of serving as &uot;Master of Ceremonies for the 23rd Annual Queen’s Luncheon,&uot; sponsored by the Pilot Club of Suffolk.

Edwards is one of the city’s best known &uot;professional volunteers,&uot; those people who give freely of their time and talents simply because they are devoted to serving others.

The Queen’s Luncheon is a feast of foods, fashions, fun, good fellowship, and it serves as the kick-off for Suffolk’s annual Peanut Fest. This year’s &uot;Silver Anniversary Peanut Fest&uot; is expected to be nothing short of a spectacular celebration of the fall season and the crop most identified with our city; peanuts.

Each year, the Pilot Club of Suffolk honors a young lady from an area high school who is chosen on the merits of an essay she prepares related to the Fest.

This year, Sarah Catherine McPhail, the 18-year old daughter of Barbara and Phil McPhail, will preside over the Peanut Fest and many of its events. She will also greet the public in the &uot;24th Annual Silver Anniversary Peanut Fest Parade&uot; at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5.

Queen Sarah Catherine will be introduced for the first time to her &uot;subjects&uot; as she is crowned today at the Queen’s Luncheon at the Suffolk Shrine Club.

Along with welcoming the Queen and her court of five princesses, Edwards will also preside over a fashion show as models parade the latest in fall and holiday apparel for those attending the event.

Edwards is well known in the community for his many volunteer services to a wide variety of organizations. He serves as chairman of the board for the Suffolk Chapter of the American Red Cross and also the Obici Foundation Board; the board at Riddick’s Folly, and the United Christian Church Retirement Home board. He’s also served on the local advisory council for Lake Prince Center, and as treasurer on many other boards.

Still, this true Southern gentleman has time to volunteer for many other services including delivering lunches for Suffolk’s &uot;Meals on Wheels&uot; program, a duty which he shares with his wife, Jacquelin. He also volunteers with &uot;Lee’s Friends,&uot; an oncology support group, and working through Main Street United Methodist Church, he helps install &uot;Lifelines,&uot; those medical emergency alert devices.

Edwards has even been known to help Santa Claus out and he also appears as St. Nicholas during Suffolk’s locally famous &uot;Candlelight Tour&uot; on Dec. 8. He’ll be at Riddick’s Folly for that event, but he’s also serves as St. Nick at churches, schools and Obici Hospital.

He is a tireless volunteer and dedicated to serving the community, and as a &uot;Co-Pilot,&uot; (husband) of a member of the Pilot Club of Suffolk, he often helps that organization just as he will today.