Since she was a little girl, Brooke Green has dreamed of being crowned Miss Cassopolis.

Saturday afternoon, that dream came true in the Ross Beatty High School auditorium.

“I just felt the crown on my head and I just started crying,” Green said. “I was smiling and crying and I was very, very happy. I was really shocked.

“I had always dreamed of being Miss Cassopolis and then they discontinued the pageant for a couple of years. So I didn’t know if I would even get the opportunity to be in the pageant. Then, when I was able to go out, I got really excited and then I won. It was really amazing.”

There were just four contestants in this year’s pageant, which was run by Donna Breden, Paige Breden and Ashely Dussel. Paige Breden was crowned Miss Cassopolis in 2010.

Joining her in the court were first runner-up Michelle Horstmann, second runner-up Ashlee Armstrong and third runner-up Hannah Dubner.

“It was weird because we have all gone to school together,” Green said. “Three of us were seniors and Michelle had graduated last year. We had always known each other and gone to school together, but we weren’t necessarily the best of friends and didn’t really know each other completely.

“During the pageant we got a lot closer with all the practices and the rehearsals and all the time we spent together.”

The four contestants were asked the question “Who has the most influence on your life and why?”

The answer was simple for Green.

“Both of my parents,” she said. “I couldn’t pick between one just because of the fact that they have both worked together to motivate, support and to hand me every opportunity and to push me to succeed in all my goals.”

Green is the daughter of Jim and Vicki Green.

Now that she has been crowned Miss Cassopolis, Green has a pretty busy agenda between now and March when the Miss Blossomtime pageant is held.

She has three or four community pageants to attend, the official photo shoot for Blossomtime and a radio interview.

She also will be preparing to perhaps break Cassopolis’ streak of never having a Blossomtime queen.

“I’m excited. We have never had a Miss Cassopolis win Blossomtime,” she said. “We have them on the court, but we have never had someone crowned queen and it started in 1906.”