Fair queen judges look for inner beauty

The Jefferson County Fair Queen Contest has come a long way from the days when contestants modeled formal wear and answered a question about world peace. Now, judges are looking for the beauty within.

Over the last eight years, fair queen contest organizers Kortney Heald and her daughters, Cynthia Post and Bethany Heald, have worked with the Jefferson County Fair Board to implement changes in the way the fair queen is selected. One goal in making the changes was to ensure that the contest was more than just a beauty pageant.

?The girls should be valued for who they are on the inside, as well,? said Kortney Heald.

Another motivation for change was to make sure the county fair queen was adequately prepared for the Iowa State Fair Queen Contest.

?We have tried to incorporate some of the activities that the county queen would have to participate in when she goes on to the state fair competition,? Heald said.

In the past, fair queen contestants simply wore formal wear and answered just one random question. With the state fair competition in mind, organizers have expanded the contest to include additional interviews. Contestants participate in a group interview where they all meet with the judges together at the same time. Candidates are given topics from each judge in the form of a question. The girls must discuss the topics as a group while the judges listen.

For the full story, read the June 18, 2009, Fairfield Ledger.