Greene County Fair Queen competition continues to grow
The Queen and Princess competition held at the Greene County Fair has always welcomed several competitors.
With the additional Little Princess competition included this summer and new experiences and scholarship opportunities, coordinator Melody Longstreth believes the program will only grow.
鈥淭his is the first year for Little Princesses. We have ages 6 to 8 for Minis, ages 9 to 12 for Littles, 13-15 for Junior Princess and 16-20 for Queen and Princess,鈥� Longstreth said. 鈥淪o far this year, I鈥檝e had 28 inquiries.鈥�
In 2021, Longstreth took on the role of coordinator, and she has made several changes to the program.
The outgoing queen in 2021 was the first to receive a $1,000 scholarship and last year, in a partnership with Waynesburg University, the program gave away an additional $4,000 scholarship.
鈥淭he community has been extremely supportive. That first year, we started from zero and produced a really nice event, and now, the donations come every year. People are saying, 鈥榗ount us in.鈥� It鈥檚 been phenomenal,鈥� Longstreth said.
They also increased the ladies鈥� opportunities for speaking engagements and future pageants.
鈥淭he ladies are busy all year long. They ride in parades, attend holiday open houses and have numerous speaking engagements. We try to get the queen out as much as possible,鈥� Longstreth said. 鈥淲e have five queens in Southwestern Pennsylvania and we work together to support these young ladies.鈥�
For example, last year, several local coordinators partnered with a professional pageant coach, a veteran of the Miss America and Miss Universe pageants, to work on presentation and public speaking. It gives contestants the best opportunity when they attend the State Fair competition every January.
With all the improvements and incentives, the young ladies are taking notice.
Reigning Greene County Queen Adysan Kern of Waynesburg will pass on her crown at the 2024 Greene County Fair.
The high school graduate chose to compete because of her love for the fair and the 4-H programs she enjoyed growing up.
She had a legacy to carry on as well.
鈥淚 always wanted to do the pageant. My mom was the Fair Queen in 1993. We鈥檙e the first mother/daughter duo in Greene County,鈥� Kern said. 鈥淚 was in the 4-H sewing club and I thought since I didn鈥檛 grow up with animals and my school didn鈥檛 have a Future Farmers of America (FFA) program, I was probably behind.鈥�
The queen and princess roles are primarily to advocate for the fair and agriculture in the community.
Kern had a lot to learn but once crowned, she added her own flair to the position.
鈥淚 was the first fair queen to do a fundraiser. I held a spaghetti dinner to raise funds for a sound system in the stage barns at the fair,鈥� Kern said. 鈥淢y parents and the princesses all helped and we raised $3,000.鈥�
This fall, Kern will be headed to a college in Illinois to study pre-dentistry, but her time as fair queen will always be something she looks back on fondly.
鈥淭his has been a great experience for me. It goes to show if you put your mind to it and work hard, anyone can do it,鈥� Kern said.
The 2024 competition will be held at 4 p.m. July 27 at the fairgrounds.