CLEARFIELD – Members of the Clearfield County Fair Queen Committee are currently accepting entries for the upcoming competition July 30.
The purpose of the competition is to select the 2017 Clearfield County Fair Queen, as well as the first runner-up, second runner-up, third runner-up and fourth runner-up.
The queen and her court will then represent the Clearfield County Fair and Clearfield County for one year.
The Clearfield County Fair Queen Competition will take center stage July 30 at 4 p.m. However, the competition will actually begin in July with the submission of an essay on “What My Fair Means to My Community.”
The contest day will start in the morning with the personal interview. Then, on stage will be the three- to five-minute speech on “Why You Should Come to My Fair.” The contest will conclude on stage with the evening gown/introduction competition.
The Queen’s Committee’s first contestant meeting is set for June 27 at 6 p.m. at the Expo II Building at the Clearfield County Fairgrounds. It will be to familiarize contestants with the guidelines of the competition and the program.
Contestants will then need to write their essay and submit it to the Fair Office, so that it may be forwarded to the judges for scoring.
A second meeting will be held July 11 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 Brenda Morgan and past fair queens Shania Franson, Jana Davidson, Jamie Straub, Rachel Davidson, Leah Albright, Halee Chase 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 top industry.
The young women who have participated in the Queen’s Program have gained benefits, which include:
- a boost in self-confidence;
- enhanced writing skills;
- enhanced public speaking skills;
- experiences with great networking opportunities with local and state officials;
- an enhanced resume;
- a gain in knowledge about Clearfield County;
- a gain in knowledge about agriculture;
- opportunities to impact the lives of young women;
- an opportunity to become a role model; and
- experiences with organizing and running events.
The entire competition contest consists of:
- Written Essay. The topic is “What My Fair Means to My Community” (300 words or less).
- Personal Interview. Each contestant will meet alone with the panel of three judges.
- Speech Presentation. The topic is “Why You Should Come to My Fair.” (three to five minutes; timed event).
- Evening Gown/Introduction. This segment is conducted on the main stage in front of the grandstand following the speech presentations. Each contestant will make a personal introduction to the audience, similar to that which a fair queen would give when visiting a fair or other public event. The contestant has approximately 15 seconds to make this introduction.
After the competition, the 2017 Clearfield County Fair Queen and her court will serve in many capacities. They will:
- attend and participate in events/activities throughout fair week.
- represent the Clearfield County Fair at events and appearances as approved by the Queen’s Committee.
- promote greater public understanding, awareness and interest in Pennsylvania agriculture and the Clearfield County Fair.
- be 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 27 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 in it. For questions, or to request an entry form, please e-mail clfdfairqueen@yahoo.com.