Brandi and Kirsten, both 16, wearing overalls and T-shirts, clogged their way to first to the country music tune, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." The dance, which they choreographed together, told the story of the Georgia country boy who could out-fiddle the Devil.

Brandi and Kirsten have been dancing together for nine years, and their flawless footwork and excellent coordination, along with the sense of humor shown in the choreography, demonstrated how well they work together. However, they recall that at the beginning of their dance lessons, when they were much younger, they couldn’t stand one another and even got into hair-pulling contests. That bit of their history was relived for the audience when they came onstage pushing and shoving each other.

They were not novices at the talent show, having won first place in 1999 for another dance number. Since first-place winners can’t compete the next year, they were not in last year’s show. The girls are members of the Flying Feet Cloggers and also study ballet, tap and Celtic dancing with Audra Turley’s Studio of Dance.

Kayla Kubinski, in a wine-colored dress, sang "I Believe" in a surprisingly mature voice. The 9-year-old is no newcomer to singing before an audience, having started to sing in public when she was 2. She’s been taking vocal lessons for seven years and has competed in other county fairs this year, taking second place at Princeton.

However, the Logan County win was her first first-place ribbon, and she found it "awesome."

The blue ribbons, which brought prizes of $100 to the winners, also give them the chance to compete in Springfield in January with other county fair talent winners. Brandi and Kirsten danced there in 1999 and said they were competing with about 65 other county fair winners.

Second-place winner in the senior contest was a local group called Star Revue, who sang "Amazing Grace," the five voices blending and harmonizing very pleasantly and skillfully. The girls, all wearing black outfits of different styles, were Samantha Serena, Paige De Chausse, Caitlyn Stoeckley, Chelsea Farrell and Jill Fonck.

Third place in the senior contest went to another ensemble, Siasma, four girls who ably demonstrated their skill in Celtic dancing. Leila Ballinger, 16, Rachel Franklin, 13, Allicent Pech, 12, and Annie Sheley, 11, all study with Audra Turley.

In the junior division, second place went to another pair of dancers, Wesley Tucker and Jillyn Cross, also members of the Flying Feet Cloggers. Wearing silver outfits, the two young dancers worked smoothly together, demonstrating their proficiency and stage presence. Wesley, 13, is from Mason City, and Jillyn, 11, attends Hartsburg-Emden schools. They have studied dance for the last six years.

Third place in the junior division went to Allison Maske, 13, for a vocal number, "Look at Me." Wearing a red top and black skirt, Allison put feeling and understanding into her number.

Fourth place in the junior division went to Casey Calentine, 11, wearing a traditional costume and clogging to "Pride of the Celts." Fifth place went to Justin Thompson, 13, of Lincoln, who danced his own interpretation of Janet Jackson’s "It’s All for You." Justin, self-taught, also created his own choreography.

Other contestants in the senior division were Jason Seelow of Lovington and Megan Malerich, 15, of Lincoln, each with vocal numbers.

Contestants in the junior division also included Alexis Groves, age 3, vocal number; Max Pozsgai, 12, guitar solo; Hannah Rea, 10, Bethany Rea, 9, and Shelly Johnson, 10, dance routine; Lindsey Boerma, 13, vocal and gymnastics; Katelyn Green, 13, vocal number; Alex Poole, 12, banjo solo; and Laura Auckenbaugh, 10, and Leah Shirley, 10, vocal duet.

A special treat for the audience, between the junior and senior division performances, was the appearance of tiny 3-year-old Darria Campbell, who sang "Jesus Loves Me" and got a round of applause.

First prize in each division was $100, second prize, $75; third prize, $50; fourth, $35; and fifth, $20. The talent contest was sponsored by the Kroger Company. Cindy Howard was contest coordinator. Judges were Andy Avery of Burlington, Iowa, and Nancy Schaub and Ginny Campbell of Lincoln. Master of ceremonies was John Howard of West Burlington, Iowa.

"I did not expect to get it. I am very surprised," the blonde, blue-eyed newly crowned queen in the shimmering blue evening gown said as she hugged her bouquet of red roses.

"Every single girl here deserved this crown tonight," she added, and then named two other contestants who she thought had a better chance to win than she did.

The three judges, however, chose Nicole, daughter of Mike and Brenda Fink of Beason. The new fair queen is a Lincoln Community High School graduate who will be a sophomore this fall at St. Mary of the Woods College in Terre Haute, Ind., and wants to become a large animal veterinarian.

Nicole, who owns a quarter horse and loves to ride, also wants to own and operate a therapeutic riding facility where she can help young children overcome problems and disabilities through horseback riding. She has been a 4-H horticulture judge and while in LCHS was on the dean’s list and appeared in the "Who’s Who" publication for high school students.

She had entered the queen contest last year but did not win. She said her parents and friends encouraged her to try again.

The final choice was difficult, though, according to one of the three judges, Martin Green of Springfield. "They are all six very talented young ladies. It was not an easy decision."

"I think the judges had a very hard decision this year," added Penny Kilhoffer, pageant director.

First runner-up was Katheryne Stoll, 18-year-old daughter of Kenton and Marcia Stoll of Chestnut and a sophomore at University of Illinois. Katheryne is studying food science and nutrition.

Second runner-up was Erin Wind, 19-year-old daughter of Richard and Deloris of Lincoln. Erin is a sophomore at Lincoln College and her goal is to be a nurse.

Mary Wood, 19, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Wood of Lincoln, was chosen by the other five contestants as "Miss Congeniality." She is a sophomore at Eastern Illinois University and a pole-vaulter who qualified for the national Olympics.

The other two contestants were Anna Schmidt, 19, daughter of Gary and Kathy Schmidt of Lincoln, a sophomore at Lincoln College and a nursing major; and Ginnifer Sparks, 19, daughter of Steve and Patricia Sparks of Emden, a sophomore at Greenville College, where she is training for the youth ministry.

To choose the queen, the three judges, all from out of town, interviewed contestants before the pageant, then judged them on swimsuit and evening gown competition. Contestants also gave a one-minute speech, either about the most memorable moment in their lives or the most influential person they have known. They were also required to answer a question they had not heard ahead of time. This year, the question was: "If you were loading Noah’s Ark today, what three things, besides the animals, would you include?"

As 2001 queen, Nicole will take over the duties of last year’s queen, Elizabeth Stoll, who said goodbye to her crown and her fans at the pageant. Elizabeth, daughter of Kenton and Marcia Stoll, is Katheryne’s sister.

"I have loved every minute of serving as your Logan County Fair queen," she told the crowd. "There’s no place like Logan County." She thanked friends, family and the members of the pageant crew and got a round of applause as she left the runway.

Nicole will preside over events during the rest of the fair and travel to other county fairs as well. In January she will go to Springfield to compete with other county fair queens for the title of Miss Illinois County Fair. The winner will be hostess for the Illinois State Fair and the ambassador of the state of Illinois at all county fairs in 2002.

More than a dozen queens from other county fairs attended the pageant, including several Junior Miss and Little Miss queens. Two former Logan County fair queens, 1998 winner Shannon Sandel and 1982 winner Kimberly Crane (Kim Manning), also attended the pageant.

Pageant director Penny Kilhoffer described this year’s contestants as "a wonderful groups of girls, very easy to work with and very supportive of each other."

Preparation for the queen contest started in June, with the six contestants visiting other county fairs. They attended three workshops and held three rehearsals, learning modeling skills and practicing speeches, she said.

Members of the pageant crew include Rochelle Johnson, Valerie White, Helen Miller, Georgia Nutt and Nina Westen. Escorts for the contestants were Joe Farris of Mount Pulaski and Bradley Stoll of Chestnut. Derek Long of New Berlin was master of ceremonies.

Lincoln, Illinois

Queen pageant night