Ten contestants will compete for the title of Jennings County Fair queen during a pageant at 7 p.m. today at the Jennings County Middle School auditorium in North Vernon.
Queen candidates, who must be at least 17 years old to compete for the title, will be tested in the skills they learned in the training sessions before the pageant. The audience will watch as they compete in three areas: of interview skills, poise in professional wear and formal wear.
Judges will decide who is most qualified to be crowned Queen and also will choose the first, second and third runners-up, who will serve as the queen’s court.
The queen will be eligible to compete for the title of Indiana State Fair queen.
Scholarships will be awarded to selected queen candidates.
The pageant judges also choose a Jennings County Fair princess, a competition for girls ages 14-17. Fourteen girls are competing for the princess title.
“I just found the whole experience so helpful to me in school,” said Leslie Bradshaw Davisson, director of the queen pageant and the 2010 Jennings County Fair queen.
Former pageant director Kitty Shepherd established a program that was designed to train the queen candidates in areas such as job interviews, poise and professional conduct, as well as typical pageant competition, Davisson said.
Davisson is directing the pageant for the third year. It includes several hours of training in the weeks leading up to the competition, and the sessions are designed to teach communication techniques, poise and the ability to relate comfortably to a community of people, she said.
“We just learned so much in the weeks before the pageant. I wanted to keep her program going to pass it on to other girls. Kitty promised to help me as the pageant director and she has helped me every step of the way. We’ve kept her basic program and added a few more things,” said Davisson.
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WHAT: Jennings County Fair queen pageant
WHEN: 7 p.m. today
WHERE: Jennings County Middle School auditorium, 820 Walnut St., North Vernon
WHO: Open to the public
COST: Tickets are $5 for adults and kids 12 years and older, and $2 for children under 12.
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Queen contestants
Justine Corya
Danielle Cosby
Krishana House
Averie Maschino
Summer Ritz
Sydney Shoultz
Hollee Sons
Olivia Vanosdol
Annie Wall
Jessica Yoder
Princess contestants
Alysha Abner
Paige Bateman
Abigail Burnside
Sydney Campbell
Allison Clark
Abigail Dixon
Shannen Itell
Alexis Kipper
Kilee Littrell
Laremie Maschino
Emma McPeek
Reina Puckett
Allison Wilson
Rachel Yoder
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