Fair queens are teachers in tiaras

May 24 was International Tiara Day, making this a great time to discuss the Huntingdon County Fair Queen Program! The Huntingdon County Fair Queen, Jessica Rowe, was crowned in 2002. The purpose of the Fair Queen program is to promote their fair and create a relationship between people of all ages in both urban and rural settings. These teachers in tiaras are responsible for educating the public about why agriculture and farm safety are so important. But how does one become a fair queen?

Over the summer, applications will be posted where you will answer some questions about yourself and submit an essay about what your fair means to your community. After this, you will attend some meetings over the summer which will help answer your questions and will help you meet the other contestants running. You’ll sign up for what you’ll help with at the fair: shows, Little Red Schoolhouse shifts, competitions, demo derbies and so forth. One thing that sets Huntingdon County’s fair queen program apart from other counties is our Little Red Schoolhouse. The Little Red Schoolhouse was brought to the fair in 2006, donated by former Secretary of Agriculture Sam Hayes Jr. to give the fair queen and her court a “headquarters” and a place to help educate people, especially younger kids, on farm safety. With the Little Red Schoolhouse came the tradition of farm safety poster boards. Each contestant is required to make a poster board aimed toward children that teach about the different parts of farm safety. These boards are judged and housed in the schoolhouse for fair week. The queen and her court can then use these boards throughout their reign on the various visits they make. Every year, the pageant is held Sunday of fair week. On this day, the contestants will take a farm knowledge test, where they must be able to answer questions on any building on the fairgrounds such as what year it was built, who it was named after, and any notable things that happened there, and other fair related information that can be used when giving tours to visitors throughout the week. The contestants will also participate in an interview with the judges. After this, there is a lunch where you can meet with the judges and fair board for them to get to know you in an relaxed environment. After all of this, it is finally time for the pageant. The pageant consists of three main parts for the contestants: a brief introduction, speeches and impromptu questions. Introductions will include things like your name, your age, where you go to school, and any other quick and important facts about you. After this, contestants will give their persuasive speech on “why you should come to my fair.” After this, contestants will be asked an impromptu question that will be answered on stage. After the judging commences, the new queen and her court will be crowned!