Daily Journal staff reports
Every summer, the Johnson County fair queen has big responsibilities to fill.
She is expected to cheer on drivers at the demolition derby, spend long days in the heat handing out 4-H ribbons and be the face of the county throughout the fair, among dozens of other tasks.
And this year, 16 young women are aiming for the crown.
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They are vying for the job that dominate the seven days of the fair itself, even though they will continue serving the community long after the fair is over. The queen and her court serve as hostesses of the fair throughout the week, said Becky Dixon, fair queen superintendent. Her duties begins as soon as she is hand-picked by three judges during the Miss Johnson County fair queen contest, which will be 7 p.m. Sunday.
The judging criteria is based on 100 point total, half of which come from an interview with the judges. They are judged on ability to converse, their personality and poise.
Twenty points are awarded during the professional wear category, in which the contestants are judged on their overall personality on stage, posture and poise. Another 20 points comes from a formal wear category, based on their stage presence. Contestants are also judged on how well they answer an on-stage question. The contestants are given a word and must answer what that word means to them, Dixon said. This question is worth 10 points.
Contestants should focus on being themselves during the pageant because the judges tend to look for a genuine individual, said Hartlee Chaswell, the 2018 Johnson County fair queen.
The hardest part were the long days during fair week, she said. The fair queen can be seen at nearly every event.
But the long days were worth it, because representing the county meant a lot to her, she said.
“As fair queen, I felt like I could give back even more and get as involved as possible (with the community) while wearing some bling and a sash,” Chaswell said.
The bulk of the queen’s duties are done during the fair itself. But if available, past fair queens have participated in events throughout the year, such as holiday lighting held in downtown Franklin, Dixon said.
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Katelynn Alvey, IUPUI, daughter of Rachel Alvey and Mark Smith.
Emily Carter, Indiana State University, daughter of Jesse and Amy Carter.
Taylor Drake, Hanover College, daughter of David and Colleen Drake.
Felicity Faris, Bob Jones University, daughter of Brad and Erleen Faris.
Megan Hines, Purdue University, daughter of David and Sheila Hines.
Lauren Hughes, University of Indianapolis, daughter of Joe and Michele Hughes.
Shelby King, Ball State University, daughter of Jenny and Jason King.
Autumn Marietta, undecided, daughter of James and Dana Marietta.
Riley Marten, Roncalli High School, daughter of Emily and Benjamin Marten.
Jessica McKinley, University of Southern Indiana, daughter of Brenda and Douglas McKinley.
Charlie Peyer, Ivy Tech, daughter of James and Mary Peyer.
Alea Reed, IUPUI, daughter of Rusty and Erin Reed and Chris and Kresta Richards.
Lacey Sichting, Ivy Tech, daughter of Jamie Sichting and Jennifer Parker.
Kierstin Snyder, IUPUI, daughter of Jeremy and Annette Snyder.
Kacey Strouse, University of Indianapolis, daughter of Mike and Penny Strouse.
Jana Tuttle, Butler University, daughter of Tyler and Linda Tuttle.
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