LONDON, Ky. (LEX 18) — One of the many fun yearly events at the World Chicken Festival is the Colonel Sanders look-alike competition. While most people can’t remember when the competition started, some of the impersonators have been coming for years.
“I am actually the official brand ambassador for Kentucky Fried Chicken worldwide,” said Johnny Miller. This year, Miller stayed out of the look-alike contest, joining the karaoke contest instead.
“Well, I've won it before. I already get the paycheck. I don't need the money,” he said with a laugh.
This year’s contest featured a first, as Lauren Witham became the first female Colonel Sanders to enter the competition.
“I met Johnny and he helped encourage me,” she said. “Timing just worked out. I've been wanting to do it. I am excited to be a pioneer for sure and excited to bring my family along with me.”
Mike Burdette, this year's judge, is also at his first chicken festival.
“What struck my eye, that looks like, really looks like Colonel Sanders,” Burdette shared. “That was kind of what I based my decision on.
It’s all part of continuing the fun festivities at the World Chicken Festival.
“It's not about winning. It's about keeping the legacy of a man going on,” said Colonel L. A. Thayer. “My dad looked a lot like Colonel Sanders. He'd walk in a place and they'd just get quiet because they thought he was Colonel Sanders, and I thought, boy, it'd be neat if I ever get to the point, you know, my hair gets gray enough I could do this.”
“I hope to bring other women to this contest or other people that maybe didn't know anything about it,” Witham said.
“We got to remember that Kentucky Fried Chicken is a good chicken, and we want people to eat it because I'm still trying to pay off that '68 Cadillac,” Miller joked.
Both Miller and Witham hope this year’s competition will encourage more women to participate in the future, ultimately growing the number of entrants in the future.
