Dahlstrom named 2021 Jefferson County Fair Queen

Makenzie Dahlstrom is the 2021 Jefferson County fair queen.

Dahlstrom was one of seven contestants in this year’s queen contest, held Wednesday night in the show arena at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Kylie Martin was named first runner-up, and Hannah Simpson was named Miss Congeniality.

Also competing were Kelsie Bohrn, Airianna Taylor, Chayse Gilchrist and Madison Meixner.

Upon receiving the crown from the 2019 and reigning Fair Queen Kaitlyn Post, Dahlstrom asked the audience to applaud all the girls on stage, and said she loved getting to spend the day with them.

The public portion of the queen contest is about an hour, where the queen contestants are brought to the stage by their attendants where they show off an evening gown and answer a question from the contest’s host, which in this case was 2015 Jefferson County Fair Queen Whitney Horras.

Horras asked the contestants how they would change the world if they could. Dahlstrom responded by saying she would give people more time, specifically more time to spend with their family.

Earlier in the day, Dahlstrom said the girls answered questions from the judges in a group interview. The judges asked them to respond to questions like “How do you think the world would be impacted by a woman president?”

“We all voiced our opinions and had a lovely talk,” Dahlstrom said. “For that question, I said America is ready for a woman president.”

The day wasn’t all business, though. The girls got to spend time just hanging out and relaxing with one another. They got their hair done at the Bee Hive Salon & Spa, and snacked on chips, salsa and queso from Aranda’s Mexican Restaurant.

“The girls were wonderful, and the atmosphere was great,” Dahlstrom said about her time with the other contestants. “It was awesome.”

Kortney Heald and her daughter Cynthia Post organize the queen contest every year. They’re responsible for finding judges, lining up beauty salons and asking for donations for the girls’ gift baskets. Heald said they find entertainment for the queen contest, something for the public to watch while the judges are deliberating. This year, the audience was treated to a song by 2019 Fairfield High School graduate Alex Holden.

“I talked to the judges afterward, and they were very impressed with the group of girls we had this year,” Heald said. “They were so willing to share with the judges, and were very respectful of each other. I know we had a lot of fun with them as well.”

Heald said she was glad to have so many girls in the competition. The deadline for applying was June 11, and on June 9, only a couple of girls had applied.

“We were very tickled when we ended up with seven,” Heald said.

Dahlstrom will be entering her senior year at Pekin High School this fall. She stays busy with activities such as basketball, track, quiz bowl, Iron Chef, diversity club, dance team, Spanish club, speech and drama, and serves as student council vice president. But she said the club she enjoys most of all is FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America), where she is vice president.

“I love impacting my community in ways that benefit everybody and bring attention to problems,” Dahlstrom said.

One cause that is near and dear to Dahlstrom is foster care, which she knows about from personal experience. Dahlstrom was in the foster care system for a year and was adopted by her aunt and uncle, Jill and Shawn Dahlstrom, whom she regards as her parents. They regard her as their daughter.

Last school year, Dahlstrom organized a fundraiser to purchase duffel bags and hygiene items for foster children through FCCLA. She said that there are nearly 443,000 children in foster care in the United States, and on average, they remain in foster care for two years. She said children who age out of the program by turning 18 are more likely to experience homelessness, drug abuse and alcohol abuse.

Dahlstrom chose to raise money for duffel bags because foster children have to transport their belongings from house to house, often using trash bags. She said the symbolism of that is not lost on the kids, and it makes them feel unwanted. Since her fundraiser began, Dahlstrom has raised almost $3,000 for foster kids in Iowa.

Kelly Goudy teaches culinary arts and family and consumer science at Pekin, where she is the school’s FCCLA sponsor. She’s gotten to know Dahlstrom well not just as a pupil in her classroom, but also through her involvement in FCCLA, Iron Chef and quiz bowl competitions. Goudy said Dahlstrom is a wonderful student who is kind, smart, funny and conscientious about getting her work done.

“She’s the first person to say good morning, to ask how your day is and to tell you to have a nice day when she leaves class,” Goudy said. “Most high school students don’t think to ask how your day is going, but she does it, and does it every day.”

Goudy said FCCLA is a student-driven organization where kids pick a project, then prepare a presentation about it to deliver before judges.

“I tell them the guidelines and due dates, but it’s up to the kids to be motivated and do all the paperwork,” Goudy said. “It teaches them a lot of personal responsibility.”

Dahlstrom said she’s planning to continue doing the same extracurricular activities she’s always done, and has one new challenge awaiting her. She’s often played a supporting role in the school’s fall play, but last year the school couldn’t hold it because of the pandemic. This fall, Dahlstrom will direct the play, something she’s never done before.

“I’m ready to jump in,” she said.