Belly in, boobs/butt out, smile of perfection plastered on your face, and standing in the perfect pageant pose in that shining gown that fits just a bit too tight so you can't slouch. Anxiety has kicked in because in the next five seconds either your name will be called and you get the crown and all it's glory or you'll have to wait again next year to test your luck. Being in a pageant is one of the most nerve wracking things I have ever done. Running in a State track meet for the first time ever-no biggy; Moving two hours from home to go to college where I knew no one- bring it on; stand on stage totally vulnerable in front of my community to show them I deserve the crown- where is the nearest exit again?
In the summer of 2015 I participated in my County's annual queen pageant. In all honesty I did it for fun because I knew my interview skills were a mess and that public speaking wasn't my strongest point. Little did I know that a "just for fun pageant" would change my whole outlook on my county. After being named Miss Pike County 2015 I started a hectic 3 days. Like most people I knew that the Queen seemed to basically lived at the fair ground, but I thought that like most she was just a pretty face to take pictures with. Oh how wrong I was.
Yes, I did basically live at the fair ground during fair week, but by no means was I just some pretty face that stood there. I constantly had people striking up a conversation with me, I had to announce for all of the little kid pageants, and also trek through the mud to give a taller than me trophy to a sweaty guy who had just won his division of the derby. I know that to many of you it might seem just like easy stuff, but let's think about this. The conversations I had with many of those people weren't about how pretty I looked in my dress on stage, it was a conversation about my community or my values or why did I want this crown and how was I going to represent my county. One wrong answer and I would have been the talk of the whole county, literally. Anytime my mouth was open people had their ears wide open to try and find a reason to think that my winning was a fluke. Then to top it off when I had to announce I was given no script, so I had to fly by the seat of my pants and mispronounce even the easiest names because I was so nervous. After sweating through my dress I had to change into clothes that mud was okay to touch and reapply that deo because it was derby time.
For those of you who have no idea what a derby is I will pray for you because I can say they are one of the greatest weekend night past times, aside from sports, of course. Now, being a county queen at one of these derbies means that by no means can you tip toe through the mud because that's just not how we do it. A County Queen must put her boots on, grab that trophy, and strut through the mud like it's the pageant stage because dirty needs to still look good.
But aside from fair week a County Queens work is never done. She must be fully brushed up on her knowledge of agriculture and how it affects the people she proudly represents. Agriculture is the foundation of our community and one of the most important things a queen can invest herself in during her reign because not only does it bring her closer to those around her, but it also makes her appreciate where she comes from. She must also attend events that could be as big as a town festival or as small as a radio interview. Either way the smile you see on her face isn't one that she fixed their just for your pleasure.
The smile of a County Fair Queen radiates the joy she sees amoungst the people she is doing her best to honor through every action and word. You'll see her smile grow larger at the little girl who tells her how beautiful she is and how she wants to be a queen just like her one day. You'll also see her eyes gleam as she starts answering a question about something that burns a fire in her soul.
A County Fair Queen isn't afraid to get down and dirty with the farm animals to give a ribbon away, she'll gladly take a picture with your kids in hopes to inspire them, and mostly she will blow your mind with not just her beauty, but her knowledge and love for her community and its people. Because I can promise you, we are more than just a beautiful face, we are just an average girl who decided that she was going to change the world all while wearing a crown.
