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A black backdrop with silver curtains provided the
stage dressing for the pageant.
Master of Ceremonies Cameron Kurtz welcomed everyone to the fair.
Throughout the evening he thanked the many sponsors who made the
event possible.
Raylon Schreiner, 2022 Logan County Fair talent show winner, sang
the National Anthem to help kick off the evening’s events.
2022 Logan County Fair Queen Emma Stoltzenburg was escorted to the
stage by her father Brian. Jim Xamis Ford provided the convertible
they drove up in.
After welcoming everyone, Queen Emma said she was grateful for the
honor and privilege of serving as queen this past year, then told
everyone to sit back, relax and enjoy this beautiful night at the
fair.
For the opening production number, queen candidates danced to the
Michael Bublé song Save the Last Dance for Me and then introduced
themselves.
The candidates competing for the title of Logan County Fair Queen
included:
Lydia Roland of Lincoln, daughter of Cara and Ben Roland. Lydia will
attend Heartland Community College this fall.
Anna Kindred of Atlanta, daughter of Rhonda and Sean Kindred.
Kindred will be a senior at Olympia High School this fall.
McKenzie Wurth of Lincoln, daughter of Tiffany and Darren Wurth.
Wurth will attend Southern Illinois University this fall.
Faith Sanders of Hartsburg, daughter of Ruth Coers.
Sanders will attend Heartland Community College this fall.
Grace Doolin of Emden, daughter of Shannon and Dan Doolin. Doolin
will be in her second year at Heartland Community College this fall.
Ellyn Martinez of Lincoln, daughter of Karen Martinez and John
Martinez. Martinez will attend Illinois State University this fall.
Bailey Billington of Lincoln, daughter of Jacklyn and Jeremy
Billington. Billington will attend Heartland Community College this
fall.
Julia Collins of Atlanta, daughter of Ashley and Josh Collins.
Collins will be a senior at Olympia High School this fall.
To display communication skills, which is 40 percent of the score,
queen contestants spoke on a topic of their choice. Some talked
about figuring out their passion, what they love about their
community or getting out of their comfort zone. Others discussed how
it takes a village to raise a child, the deep meaning of people
believing in them, the need for influential agricultural leaders and
helping kids dream big.
For the pop question, contestants were asked what advice they would
give their younger selves.
Answers included being confident and not afraid to step out of your
comfort zone and try something new, going all in on Jesus because it
is life changing, not getting overwhelmed by those who say mean
things and not letting the influence of others affect what they
think. Other answers were not being afraid of what other people
think of them, soaking up the good memories because tomorrow is
never promised, not backing down from those who make them fearful
and not listening to people who make them feel down.
The rest of the scoring was based on an interview earlier in the day
plus an evening gown competition to display stage presence.
The local Junior Miss competition began in 2017 for girls between
the ages of nine and 12. In 2018, the age range was changed to girls
between 11 and 13.
2022 Logan County Junior Miss Isabella Pollice was escorted to the
stage by her father Sal. Pollice welcomed and thanked everyone for
their support. She said she could not believe it was time to crown a
new junior miss then told everyone to enjoy the show.
Junior Miss contestants swayed across the stage to the Taylor Swift
song Me then introduced themselves.
This year’s junior miss contestants included:
Brinley Balance of Emden, daughter of Brooke and Matthew Balance.
Andrea Rogers of Beason, daughter of Alexandra Green.
Preslee Sherren of Lincoln, daughter of Alison and Robert Sherren.
Ashten Wolf of Beason, daughter of Heather and Michael Gaule and
Randy Wolf.
Andrea Noltensmeier of Elkhart, daughter of Jacinda and Scott
Noltensmeier.
Ellie Wrage of Lincoln, daughter of Elizabeth and Jason Wrage.
Courtney Cecil of Atlanta, daughter of Melissa and Tommy Cecil.
Their scores came from their appearance on stage and
answering questions asked by each of the three judges.
Kurtz asked each contestant what advice they would give their
parents.
Answers ranged from humorous to serious. Humorous answers included
not telling dad jokes, being able to eat snacks in their room and
telling their parents if they want chickens, they can clean the
coop. Other answers included telling parents to be themselves,
letting their children try what they want to and not messing up.
Before the Little Miss contestants were introduced, 2023 Little Miss
Luci Bobell was escorted to the stage by her father Matt Bobell.
Little Miss Luci said she loved being out and about during her
reign. She said it had been an honor to serve and wished all the
contestants good luck.
This year’s Little Miss contestants were Vayda Farmer, Ella Marie
Hall, Hinley Schneider, Stella Anderson, Olivia Harmsen, Leighton
Neitzel, Lillian Rademaker, Emerson Bolen, Brielle Wilson, Emmary
Grenlund, Lakin Titus, Scout Coers, Charlee Gleason, Falyn Farmer,
Deryn Bainter, Sienna Pollock, Harper Triplett, Oaklee Vinyard, Kodi
Eigenbrod, Embeth Leesman and Cloey Sandel.
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Little Miss contestants were judged on an interview
that made up 60 percent of their score. The other 40 percent of the
score came from their stage presence.
As always, the Little Miss contestants provided some charming
moments as they introduced themselves, telling their ages, where
they live and what they like about the pageant.
The Little Miss candidates shared what they want to be when they
grow up. Several want to be teachers, while others want to be the
boss, a singer, an artist, a veterinarian, an accountant, scientist,
orthodontist, babysitter, zoologist, lifeguard and good person who
loves Jesus.
Time between sections was filled by special guests. These included
queens, junior misses, little misses and others with titles from
various Illinois counties such as Macon, Mason, Menard, Sangamon and
Christian Counties. Other visiting royalty represented Pana/Tri-County,
Sunburst Peoria and the Irish Days Festival.
Other guests included several former Logan County Fair Queens,
Junior Misses and Little Misses. Most of the group of 20 reigned in
the last several years. Two reigned 25 or more years ago including
1998 Queen Shannon (Sandel) Doolin and 1974 Queen Elise (Gleason)
Anderson.
During this part Kurtz also had everyone share a moment of silence
in memory of Evelyn (Belcher) Oltmanns, the 1945 Logan County Fair
Queen who died this past June. For many years, Oltmanns joined the
former royalty on stage and had fond memories of her time as fair
queen.
Before results were announced, the outgoing 2022 royalty gave
farewell speeches.
Little Miss Luci said she had a great year with Queen Emma and
Junior Miss Isabella. She found it to be a rewarding experience.
Junior Miss Isabella said in 2022, she had decided to run for junior
miss at the last minute and discovered that winning was one of the
best things. She feels she has grown in confidence. Junior Miss
Isabella expressed appreciation for all the pageant directors did
for her this past year. She loved Little Miss Luci’s hugs and made
the best memories with Queen Emma, who was someone she could look up
to.
In her farewell speech, Queen Emma reflected on many
amazing opportunities she had like doing ribbon cuttings, being in
parades and riding in the Sunrise hot air balloon.
Queen Emma then thanked the fair board, the people of Logan County
and the pageant crew, especially Bethany Rademaker, for being there
for her. She was happy to see Junior Miss Isabella grow so much,
loved Little Miss Luci’s big hug and loved serving with both of
them. Finally, Queen Emma thanked her family for all their help and
support during her reign.
Finally, the judges’ decisions were announced.
Ellyn Martinez was crowned 2023 Miss Logan County Fair Queen; Ellie
Wrage was crowned Junior Miss Logan County and Kodi Eigenbrod was
crowned as the new Little Miss Logan County.
The first Runner-Up for queen was Julia Collins.
The Dean Bruns Memorial Miss Congeniality Award was given to Grace
Doolin.
Crowd’s Choice and individual who connected to the most businesses
was Ellyn Martinez.
Other awards for the Junior Miss contest were First Runner-Up
Preslee Sherren, Miss Congeniality Courtney Cecil, Crowd’s Choice
Andrea Rogers and most raffle tickets sold Andrea Noltensmeier.
Other awards for the Little Miss contest were First Runner-Up Lakin
Titus, Second Runner-Up Emmary Grenlund, Crowd’s Choice Harper
Tripplett, most raffle tickets sold Lillian Rademaker and most
photogenic Falyn Farmer.
This fall, Queen Ellyn will attend Illinois State University, where
she will major in Political Science and Legal Studies. She later
plans to obtain her masters and then her law degree. Queen Ellyn’s
goal is to become a lobbyist focusing on youth and mental health
issues.
Queen Ellyn’s special honors include both honor and high honor roll,
2022 IDTA pom state championship and performed as a dancer three
times at Walt Disney World. She was a recipient of the James Heinzel
scholarship through the Lincoln Community High School Foundation.
While in high school, Queen Ellyn participated in golf, leaf club
and Future Business Leaders of America. She also danced at Audra’s
Dance Studio for the past fifteen years.
Queen Ellyn, joined by Junior Miss Ellie and Little Miss Kodi will
reign over the remainder of the Logan County Fair attending various
events and presentations handing out ribbons. The fair royalty will
also represent Logan County at various events throughout the year
with Queen Ellyn competing in January for the title of Miss Illinois
County Fair.
[Angela Reiners with photos by JA
Hodgdon]
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