CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Fair Queen Contest is now open to entries for the upcoming competition to be held Sunday, July 31.
The purpose of the competition is to select the 2016 Clearfield County Fair Queen, First Runner-up, Second Runner-up, Third Runner-up and Fourth Runner-up from the group of contestants.
The new fair queen and her court will represent the Clearfield County Fair and Clearfield County for one year.
The Clearfield County Fair Queen competition will begin on the main stage Sunday, July 31 at 4 p.m.
However, the competition will actually begin in July with the contestants’ submission of an essay on “What my Fair Means to My Community.”
The contest day, Sunday, July 31, will begin in the morning with the personal interview. Then, on stage there will be a 3- to 5-minute speech on “Why You Should Come to My Fair.”
The contest will continue on stage with the evening gown/introduction competition. The contest will conclude with the Top 5 contestants answering an impromptu question.
The Queen’s committee’s first contestant meeting will be Tuesday, June 28 at 6 p.m. at the Expo II Building at the Clearfield County Fairgrounds to familiarize them with the guidelines of the competition and the program.
Contestants will then write their essay and submit it to the Fair Office, so it may be forwarded to the judges for scoring.
A second meeting will be held Tuesday, July 12 at 6 p.m. to allow the contestants to work on their bio introduction, speech and obtain advice from the committee.
This year’s Clearfield County Fair Queen Committee members are Coordinator/Publicity Director, Brenda Morgan and past fair queens Shania Franson, Jana Davidson, Jamie Straub, Rachel Davidson, Leah Albright, Halee Kephart and Melanie Henry.
The Queen Program is much more than a contest. This program was developed to assist young women to realize their potential, build towards a better future, become an active part of their community and learn about agriculture, Pennsylvania’s number one industry.
The young women who have participated in the Queen Program gained benefits, such as:
- Boosting their self confidence
- Enhancing their writing skills
- Enhancing their public speaking skills
- Experiencing great networking opportunities with local and state officials
- Enhancing their resume
- Gaining knowledge of Clearfield County
- Gaining knowledge of agriculture
- Impacting the lives of young women
- Becoming a role model
- Experiencing the organization and operation of events
The entire competition contest consists of:
- a written essay on the topic “What My Fair Means to My Community” (300 words or less).
- a personal interview with the panel of three judges.
- a speech presentation on the topic “Why You Should Come to My Fair.” (3-5 minutes; timed event).
- an evening gown/introduction conducted on the main stage in front of the grandstand following speech presentations. Each contestant makes a personal introduction to the audience that is similar to what a Fair Queen would give when visiting a fair or other public event. The contestant has approximately 15 seconds to make this introduction.
- an impromptu question with the contestants with the Top 5 scores. It will be the same impromptu question for all five about a fair/current event/agriculture related topic.
After the competition the 2016 Clearfield County Fair Queen and Court will serve in the following capacities by:
- attending and participating in events/activities throughout fair week
- representing the Clearfield County Fair at events and appearances as approved by the Queen’s Committee.
- promoting greater public understanding, awareness and interest in Pennsylvania agriculture and the Clearfield County Fair.
- being actively involved in raising funds for Queens for a Cause, benefiting Children’s Miracle Network and local charities, as well as assisting local charitable organizations upon request.
Entry forms are available on the Fair Web site, www.clearfieldcountyfair.com, or at the Fair Office.
Entry forms are due to the fair office no later than June 28 or they can be turned in at the first contestant meeting.
Please feel free to attend the first meeting to learn more about the competition before committing to compete.
For questions or to request an entry form, please e-mail clfdfairqueen@yahoo.com.