When the 2013 Peanut Queen and her Court are presented during a luncheon and fashion show Oct. 3, pink cowboy hats will be the common piece of attire.

The girls will be given the western headwear in line with this year’s Peanut Fest theme: “Bootscootin’, Shell Crushing Good Times,” festival co-organizer Angie Twiford said.

Cowboy hats aside, the afternoon will feature a fashion show with “some of the better-known designers you find in boutiques,” she said.

“You just don’t find them in the general run of stores.”

For the second consecutive year, Ann’s Dress Shoppe in Waverly will supply the fashions. The event is sponsored by the Pilot Club of Suffolk.

Officially kicking off Peanut Fest, the event will be held at the National Guard Armory at noon.

Tickets, costing $17, are available from Suffolk Tourism, in the old courthouse at 524 North Main St.

Each of Suffolk’s five high schools selects rising seniors for the honor. A panel of judges from outside the city decides who makes the cut, Twiford said.

The Peanut Queen and Queen’s Court members are selected based on a written essay (40 percent), activities (15 percent), awards and achievements (15 percent) and volunteering (30 percent).

This year the girls were particularly challenged by the essay, which is always based on the festival theme.

“This was a challenge for them, I think,” Twiford said. “(But) if they are a girl that was raised in the area, they know what Peanut Fest is all about, and how much fun it is.”

This year’s court is as follows:

King’s Fork High School — Erin Banks and Kayla Vincent

Lakeland High School — Stephanie Boles and Lauren Joyner

Nansemond River High School — Emily Bazemore and Emily Leverone

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy — Anne Hayes Mason and Kaylor Nash

Suffolk Christian Academy — Hannah Fagan and Alexis Metzgar