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Earlier
in the day all 11 contestants participated in the interviewing
process. Once at the fairgrounds, each young woman was escorted
into the grandstand area in a convertible. The swimsuit
competition followed, being judged on beauty and physique. Each
contestant answered a "pop" question after modeling in
her evening gown and being judged on overall stage presence.
One-minute prepared speeches on each contestant’s most
influential person or most memorable moment concluded the
competition.
In
the excitement and chaos after being crowned, Queen Elizabeth took
a few moments to answer these questions:
Q:
What did you do to prepare for this pageant?
A:
I walked around in heels a lot. I practiced in the garage with a
broken screwdriver as my microphone and a watch to time myself for
the speech. My mom would give me questions too. I also attended
each practice, which helped a lot.
(For
Elizabeth’s speech, she told of her most memorable moment: going
hunting with her father for the very first time. This was nothing
she had ever experienced before. For three days she sat in a deer
stand waiting. On the final day she heard rustling and knew the
deer was approaching. Her father yelled, "Stop." With
that Elizabeth pulled the trigger. She looked and the deer was
still standing right in front of her. She shot again. This time
she hit the deer. Elizabeth was so excited, what she didn’t
realize at first glance was that the deer was an 11-point buck.)
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Q:
What was the most nerve-wracking part of tonight?
A:
The question. You never know what they are going to ask. I didn’t
have any problem with the interview. My FFA experience has helped me
with that.
(This
year’s question was, "If you were going to be on ‘Survivor,’
what one possession would you take with you?" Answers ranged from
family photographs and the Bible to taking mom and bringing clean
underwear!)
Q:
What are you looking forward to at this week’s fair?
A:
Handing out the ribbons. I’m so excited about that.
Queen
Elizabeth’s court includes first runner-up Amanda Frioli. She is the
17-year-old daughter of Gene and Melissa Frioli of Lincoln. Amanda is
attending Illinois State University, where she is majoring in
political science and forensics.
Lincoln
native Lindsay Perring was chosen second runner-up and Miss
Congeniality. She is the 20-year-old daughter of David and Marsha
Perring. Lindsay is majoring in Spanish education at the University of
Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
Elizabeth
is the 19-year-old daughter of Kenton and Marcia Stoll of Chestnut.
She attends Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., where she is
majoring in plant biology. She has two younger sisters, Kathryn and
Christina, and a younger brother, Bradley.
[LDN]
(Click
here for pictures of all the contestants.)
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In
particular, they had a problem in the communications department.
"If we had 20 other drills, there would still be
communications difficulties to work out," said Logan County
Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA) Director Dan
Fulscher. Participants needed to learn to speak quickly and
informatively, then clear the channel.
Approximately
125 volunteers used the event to practice their skills and be
evaluated by county and state emergency management agencies.
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Two
representatives from Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) were
present Saturday to evaluate the performances. Both people said that
they would "certainly feel safe in the communities of Atlanta or
Latham if a disaster struck."
With
tornadoes and many other disasters possible at any time, it is good to
know that there are trained rescue workers ready to come to the aid of
Logan County residents.
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[Line ’em up.
Outgoing Logan County Fair Queen Lanie Reinhart gives some words of
advice to the 11 contestants vying for her title.]
Pageant
director Penny Kilhoffer, who has been involved with the pageant
for 14 years, says that she has seen changes over the years, the
most noticeable being the styles of the gowns and hairdos. At one
time, there were up to 18 contestants competing to reign over the
fair. Kilhoffer says the numbers have gone down over the past few
years because "girls are involved in so many things –
sports, summer school, working two and three jobs to pay for
college."
There
is one thing that hasn’t changed over the years: the amount of
hard work and dedication that goes into preparing the contestants.
Kilhoffer
credits her crew for helping make the pageant a success. This year’s
crew members include Rochelle Johnson, Georgia Nutt and Nina
Westen. As pageant director, it is Kilhoffer’s responsibility to
begin the recruiting process. Looking for contestants begins in
the spring. Area high school teachers and counselors nominate
individual students to be contacted as potential candidates.
Kilhoffer adds that even if a young woman is not nominated,
everyone who complies with the general
rules of the contest is "more than welcome to
participate."
[Miss Logan
County Fair 2000 contestants, from left to right: Staci
Hieronymus, Tara Albertin, Amy
Smith, Amanda Frioli,
Ashleigh Ray, Elizabeth Stoll,
Lindsay Perring, Amy Miller, Nichole
Fink, Heather Holmes and Renee
Carvalho.]
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column)
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Once
the contestants have consented to compete, they have the option to
attend other area county fair queen competitions. "It gives them
an idea of what to expect," Kilhoffer says. During the summer,
three workshops are held where contestants are advised on wardrobe,
modeling and stage presence techniques, and interviewing skills. About
10 days before the actual competition, contestants begin rehearsing on
stage at the Logan County Fair. There are three mandatory rehearsals
at the fairgrounds to become accustomed to the lights and staging.
[Rehearsing for
only the second time at the fairgrounds, contestants mark their places
for giving their speech.]
Visiting
with the contestants at last Thursday night’s rehearsal, I found out
that they are learning many skills which they believe will help them
in the future. One contestant said, "The interviewing skills will
help when I start looking for a job." Others added, "I’ve
learned how to accept constructive criticism and how to present
myself." "Mannerisms, posture and learning how to smile for
so long," was another response. But most importantly, adds one
contestant, "I’ve learned to conquer my fear of being in front
of large groups of people."
[Natalie
Jeckel]
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Name: Tara
Albertin
Age: 18
Hometown: Atlanta
Parents: Marc and Jeanne Albertin
High School: Olympia
College: Western Illinois University
Major: Public relations
Name: Renee
Carvalho
Age: 20
Hometown: Lincoln
Parents: Gordon and Debbie Carvalho
High School: New Wine Christian
College: Lincoln College
Major: Pre-medicine
Name: Nichole
Fink
Age: 18
Hometown: Beason
Parents: Mike and Brenda Fink
High School: Lincoln Community
College: Southern Illinois University
Major: Mortuary science
Name: Amanda
Frioli
Age: 17
Hometown: Lincoln
Parents: Gene and Melissa Frioli
High School: Lincoln Community
College: Illinois State University
Major: Political science and forensics
Name: Staci
Hieronymus
Age: 18
Hometown: Atlanta
Parents: Kent and Carolyn Hieronymus
High School: Olympia
College: Millikin University
Major: plans to become a chiropractor
Name: Heather
Holmes
Age: 18
Hometown: New Holland
Parents: Rick and Jamie Holmes
High School: Lincoln Community
College: Southern Illinois University
Major: Pre-medicine
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in this section)
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Name: Amy
Miller
Age: 18
Hometown: Lawndale
Parents: Marvin Miller and Doris Burge
High School: Lincoln Community
College: Illinois State University
Major: Nursing
Name: Lindsay
Perring
Age: 20
Hometown: Lincoln
Parents: David and Marsh Perring
High School: Lincoln Community
College: University of Illinois-Champaign
Major: Spanish education
Name: Ashleigh
Ray
Age: 18
Hometown: Lincoln
Parents: Keith and Jeaneen Ray
High School: Lincoln Community
College: Lincoln Christian College
Major: Human relations
Name: Amy
Smith
Age: 18
Hometown: Elkhart
Parents: Raymond and Beverly Smith
High School: Mount Pulaski
College: University of Illinois-Champaign
Major: Civil engineering
Name: Elizabeth
Stoll
Age: 19
Hometown: Chestnut
Parents: Kenton and Marcia Stoll
High School: Mount Pulaski
College: Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
Major: Plant biology
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1.
Contestant must be a U.S. citizen and have been a resident of
Logan County, Illinois, for six months prior to the pageant date.
2.
Contestant must be a minimum of 16 years of age by the pageant
date and not have reached her 22nd birthday by Jan. 1 of the
following year.
3.
Contestant must be single, never have been married, divorced, or
had a marriage annulled; contestant can never have been pregnant,
and cannot have had a child.
4.
Contestant must not be on probation or have been arrested,
incarcerated or convicted of a felony.
5.
Former county fair queens who have competed for the title of Miss
Illinois County Fair are not eligible to participate.
6.
Contestant agrees to appear on stage in a one-piece swimsuit and
an evening gown, and agrees to be personally interviewed in street
dress attire by the judges.
a.
Swimsuit must be one-piece and should fit well. Solid or minimal
colored swimsuits with built-in bras or support are preferable.
Swimsuits with plunging necklines or too high on the hips are not
allowed; pads to increase bust size are not permitted. If the
swimsuit is questionable, the contestant will be requested to
change it.
b.
Evening gown; most girls choose a floor-length gown. Long splits
in skirts above the knees are not advisable, and pads to increase
bust size are not permitted.
7.
No additional contestants will be accepted after the first
rehearsal.
8.
Contestants are required to attend all of the rehearsals.
Workshops will be held for modeling, hairstyling, makeup and
interview skills. Workshops are optional and are not considered
rehearsal.
9.
The contestant agrees that the time, manner, and method of
conducting and judging the contest shall be solely within the
discretion of the officials and that the decision of the judges
shall be final.
10.
The queen will be chosen and crowned the night of the pageant. No
preliminary contest will be held unless deemed necessary by the
pageant director.
11.
The newly selected queen will serve as hostess for the Logan
County Fair and represent the fair at the Miss Illinois County
Fair Pageant in January the following year and crown the next Miss
Logan County Fair Queen.
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12.
Prerequisites and duties of the newly selected queen will be:
a.
The queen will not partake of alcoholic beverages while representing
the Logan County Fair at any function.
b.
It is strongly suggested that the queen refrain from smoking while
representing the Logan County Fair at any function.
c.
The queen will not participate in or represent any other judged
pageant during her reign, with the exception of the Miss Illinois
County Fair Queen Pageant.
d.
The queen will represent the Logan County Fair at as many other area
pageants and other functions as possible.
e.
The queen will be chaperoned by the pageant director or by a chaperone
approved by the director at any time she is representing the Logan
County Fair.
f.
The queen must furnish an unframed 8-by-10 vertical picture and
registration application for the state pageant to the pageant director
before Sept. 15, for the state contest
g.
The queen will present trophies, ribbons, and assist in drawings
during the fair. She will appear in appropriate attire (a dress, crown
and sash). She will also take part in other public relations
activities deemed necessary by the pageant director.
h.
The queen will be required to attend the Central Zone meeting of the
Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs held in Springfield in
November – on a Sunday.
i.
All personal appearances as Miss Logan County Fair shall be approved
in advance by the pageant director; as well as any photographic
sessions and pictures released in the role of Miss Logan County Fair
Queen.
13.
If the newly selected queen cannot fulfill all of the expressed duties
or violates any rule set forth for a candidate, she will relinquish
her title, crown and all prizes upon the direction of the pageant
director. The first runner-up will then be eligible for the title.
14.
Any grievances or objections to the contest will be referred to the
pageant director of the Logan County Fair Association and the Logan
County Fair Association Board.
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Queen
Elizabeth reigns over fair