The 2017 Des Moines County Queen contestants wait to hear who will be crowned. KBUR/Meghan D’Souza
The 2017 Des Moines County Fair got off to a ceremonial start with the Des Moines County Queen Pageant on Tuesday night.
Contestants Katelyn Orr, Lilly Harbison, Grace Breuer, Ashley Lohmann, and Emily Carhoff took to the stage in the SCC gymnasium to exhibit their speech-giving abilities and interview skills. The ladies had previously been scored for their hostess skills and talents in academics and leadership. All scores were combined to choose this year’s queen.
Of note during the ceremony was Harbison’s confession during her individual interview that she participated in the pageant to face her fear of the very thing she was doing — speak in front of people.
Once all scores were tallied, Katelyn Orr was announced as the 2017 Des Moines County Queen.
Katelyn Orr takes her first walk as the 2017 Des Moines County Fair Queen. KBUR/Meghan D’Souza
The runner up is Ashley Lohmann. The remaining ladies were named 2017 Miss Fair Spirits.
Orr will move on to the Iowa State Fair to represent Des Moines County at the Iowa State Fair Pageant Queen competition.
Fair Queen Director Andrea Reif says the pageant is key to the fair because fair-goers have always been eager to see the crown passed on to the new queen.
“People want to come out the first night of the fair and find out who has crowned whom,” Reif said. “It’s a longstanding tradition
The rest of the week holds many activities on the fairgrounds with daily livestock shows. The Bill Reilly Talen Show will take place on Wednesday evening and a horse pull will be held on Thursday. The weekend holds live music, fireworks, and the 5K color run.
For a detailed list of events, visit desmoinescountyfair.com.
As the Des Moines County Fair moves forward, there will be livestock shows to check out all week. KBUR/Meghan D’Souza.
As the Des Moines County Fair moves forward, there will be livestock shows to check out all week. KBUR/Meghan D’Souza
