All of a sudden, everyone knew who Kristie Roberts-Workman was.
Her childhood home was filled with flowers, she was the center of attention at pep rallies, college scholarships came pouring in and strangers she'd never met knew so much about her.
Roberts-Workman, then Kristie Roberts, won Miss Majorette in the 1987 Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival. It's a year she remembers vividly.
"It's kind of your 15 minutes of fame as a teenager," she said.
Roberts-Workman, a graduate of South Charleston High School, joined the majorette corps at the advice of her parents. She tried cheerleading, but there was just something special about holding a baton in her hand.
"Back in the day, everyone just loved majorettes and thought it was really kind of glamorous," she said. "I just stuck with it and it became like second-hand, really. I didn't go anywhere without a baton. I could twirl in my sleep."
Roberts-Workman remembers the field full of girls just as talented as she was that year - nearly 99 competitors.
"It used to be much bigger," she said, attributing much of the decrease in participation to the combining of high schools in Kanawha County. "There were 99 girls the year I won. I was the last class to come out of South Charleston when there was South Charleston and Dunbar high schools."
She spent nearly six months preparing for the festival. It consumed her life - perfecting her routine, making sure everything was ready for September.
"The whole field was full. Everyone was excited about it, of course, but once you're there, you just hope you can get through your routine without dropping the baton," she said, laughing.
In fact, she was so consumed with perfecting her routine, she completely missed the announcer calling her number as a finalist, she remembered. A friend had to nudge her to step up after her number was called.
"I wasn't even paying attention and they called my number. I was going over the routine to make sure we didn't miss anything," she said. "And then I won. I was floored. ... It was a great honor; it was a huge shock. You rocketed to like almost celebrity status."
This year's Gazette-Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival will mark 30 years since Roberts-Workman was crowned Miss Majorette.
Since crowning the next girl in 1988, she said she tries to come back to the festival when she's not busy with her two kids and coaching cheerleading.
This year's festival will take place Sept. 26 at University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field. This year marks the 71st festival.
Bands from all eight high schools in Kanawha County will perform, with special guest, "The Pride of West Virginia" - The Mountaineer Marching Band.
Advance tickets are $7, and tickets are $8 at the gate.
Tickets are available at Kerr's Music, Gorby's Music, Laidley Field and through each local high school. Ticket proceeds help fund high school band programs.
The festival kicks off at 6:30 p.m.
"I wish it would come back as a strong suit. I think it's lost a lot because there's not a lot of majorette corps," Roberts-Workman said. "It's just something special you can always say you went through. It's kind of your 15 minutes of fame as a teenager. It validates everything you've been working so hard for."
For more information, visit the Gazette-Mail and Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival Facebook event page.
Reach Carlee Lammers at Carlee.Lammers@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1230 or follow @CarleeLammers on Twitter.