Guest Post - Olivia Goodley

 Olivia Goodley shares her experience as the 2013 Little Miss Henry County Fair Queen:

Olivia Goodley 2013 Little Miss Henry County Fair Queen

This past year as the 2013 Little Miss Henry County Fair has been very interesting and so much fun! It started with an exciting fair week and I got to pass out trophies and ribbons. We got to ride fun rides like the ROCK-O-PLANE and eat lots of yummy fair food.

I spent a lot of the summer going to other pageants and getting to be in parades. I took lots of pictures and made many memories with Lauren VanDeVelde, Lauren Matson and Kelli.  I also got to do some things with the runners up too. I loved spending time with Brooke and Caroline, Kiersten and Jolee, and Jordan and Molly.  They were awesome and made me laugh a lot!

In parades we got to throw out candy or just wave. There are all kinds of parades, and some are cold, some can be very hot or they can be perfect. Some are during the day and some at night when you can light up your cars.  

Other fair pageants are hot or cold, and even in gyms; the pageants that are in gyms are hot, hot, hot!!!

We went to state pageant, Queen Lauren did AWESOME. Me and Jr. Lauren got to share a room it was a blast. We even went to the pool.

We helped collect and deliver toys for the Toys for Tots program. I donated the bike I won at the pageant.  I hope some little girls is loving that now that it is warm out.  I also was lucky to get many new dresses from the mall and online.  Trivia night was tricky, tricky, tricky and very fun.

Throughout the whole year, my pageant director, Kelli took me, Lauren and Lauren to fun places together. It has been amazing!  I am looking forward to a few more parades and also crowning the new Little Miss Henry County Fair in June.  

Olivia Goodley

2013 Little Miss Henry County Fair

Guest Post - Lauren Matson

Lauren Matson, has written a guest post on her experience as 2013 Jr Miss Henry County fair queen.

Lauren Matson
 Jr. Miss Henry County Fair 2013

Representing Henry County as the 2013 Jr. Miss this past year has truly been an amazing experience.  Although it has been packed with events, parades and pageants, I can hardly believe that my year is almost over. I will forever cherish the wonderful people I have met and the relationships I’ve made. If I had to pick, fair week would be my favorite. From sharing fun moments with my court to eating loads of fair food, it was a week I wish I could relive every day. Throughout the summer I attended many other pageants and parades with my Miss Lauren, Little Miss Olivia and pageant director Kelli. I was able to participate in the Younkers Community Days event to raise money for the pageant and Princess Academy, where I had the opportunity to meet young girls and teach them important life skills. At the end of the summer, Lauren and I attended the Illinois State Fair. This was a fun-filled day of meeting other county queens and again, we ate tons of fair food!  A highlight of my year was going to cheer on Queen Lauren with Olivia and many family and friends at the state pageant in January. It was quite an experience to watch as Lauren and 71 other fair queens competed in this amazing event. We could not be more proud of Lauren!  My last few months will include more parades, community service events and fundraisers, and our county pageant in June that is inching its way towards us. It will be a great night to watch all the young girls and ladies compete and crown the 2014 queens. Though my year is coming to a close, the memories will last forever as well as the friendships I’ve made with my queen sisters. I’ve been blessed to be able to enjoy such an experience! 

Guest Post-Lauren VanDeVelde

Lauren VanDeVelde, has written a guest post about her experience as Miss Henry County 2013:

Lauren VanDeVelde-2013 Miss Henry County Fair

This past year as the 2013 Henry County Fair Queen has been an experience of a lifetime!  From meeting many great people to spending an entire week at the Henry County Fair, every moment has been amazing.  I grew up attending the fair every year but experiencing it as the queen has made me appreciate it so much more.  I spent fair week watching the livestock shows, handing out ribbons and trophies, riding rides, helping with grandstand events, and of course eating every type of fair food I could get my hands on!  After fair week, I spent the summer with my Jr Miss Lauren, Little Miss Olivia, and pageant director Kelli traveling to parades and other area pageants. We had a lot of fun continuing to eat fair food and watching local county queens be crowned.  At the end of summer we enjoyed County Fair Day at the State Fair. This was a fun day full of meeting other queens and exploring the state fair grounds and all it has to offer.  In the fall I was thrilled to help at various events in the county such as the Demo Derby Fundraiser for Jackie English, a trivia night to raise funds for the Braveheart Children’s Advocacy Center and collecting toys and then helping to distribute them for our area Toys for Needy Children Campaign.  Volunteering and helping people in need is always a great feeling!  I also spent a lot of time preparing to represent my county at the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant in January.  It was a weekend full of excitement and making many new friends. The support I felt from residents of Henry County and all of my family and friends was something I will never forget! The rest of my year will be filled with more community service, parades, and of course the pageant on the opening day of the Henry County Fair. I cannot wait to meet all of the beautiful girls competing for the title.  I’m sure the new queen will love every minute of it just as I did!  I would encourage any young woman to do this pageant.  It is really an awesome experience that will give you skills for your future such as interview and public speaking.  It also gives you the chance to make new friends, get more involved in your county and not to mention another chance to wear that pretty prom dress!

~Lauren VanDeVelde

2013 Miss Henry County Fair

Queen Contest

The entry form is now online for the Queen Contests. There are three categories: Little Miss for ages 5-7, Jr. Miss for those ages 12-14, and Miss Henry County Fair Queen for those ages 16-21 and cannot have reached their 22nd birthday before January 1st, 2015. We are fortunate to have a wonderful director such as Kelli Patton. Year after year she does a terrific job. I would encourage any interested girls to sign up for the pageant. Little Miss is full and both entries close on May 5^th. Jr. Miss may close earlier if 25 entries are received before the deadline. Click here for the link to the fair website it has both of the forms available.

I have always enjoyed the Queen Pageants, I participated in several when I was younger and was in the Henry County Little Miss Pageant (at least my mom says I did it I don't remember). Many people believe pageants these days have a negative stereotype, especially because reality shows portray pageant girls going to extremes to do anything for the crown. I find this stereotype to be totally untrue.

 I have participated in eight pageants in my life and never won once (the closest I got was first and second runner-up at local pageants). But even though I didn't win, the skills that I learned at an early age have lasted me a lifetime such as how to be confident, interview skills and how to lose gracefully. Unfortunately, I never learned how to master the walk-which is probably why I never won. I practiced for hours when I was younger and even to this day my mom says I still stomp like a Clydesdale, like Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality.

If you have a past fair queen, experience feel free to post in the comments section.