Meet the candidates for Jefferson County Fair Queen

The Greater Jefferson County Fair begins this week, and one of the most anticipated events of fair week is the Jefferson County Queen Contest on Wednesday night in the show arena at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

The queen contest follows the Little Miss Contest, which begins at 6 p.m. This year, there are five local girls who are vying to be crowned Fair Queen. The queen will represent Jefferson County at the Iowa State Fair, from Aug. 12-21 in Des Moines. The queen’s duties also include bestowing ribbons on 4-H and FFA members during exhibitions the rest of the week.

The five candidates for Jefferson County Queen are:

Mika Keith, the daughter of Quentin and Katie Keith, is 17 years old and will be a senior at Pekin High School where she is active in football cheerleading, FCCLA, and speech, and Spanish club. She qualified for state speech with one of her own writings. She is involved in church and the Ottumwa Community Children’s Playhouse and works at Hy-Vee. Mika enjoys swimming, computer games, and supporting her friends at sporting events. After graduating high school, she plans to attend Indian Hills, then transfer to UNI for elementary education. Mika’s sponsor is Divya Rose Designs of Hedrick.

Nicole Robb is 17 years old and is actively involved in her 4-H club serving as secretary and photographer, serving on the teen council, and showing horses. She earned the honor of 2021 Cow Girl Queen. She is a member of the Ancor varsity bowling and was the high game scratch for the bowling league. She received the honor of student of the month and an Academic achievement award. Nicole volunteers at The Well. She enjoys showing her horses and crocheting blankets for her loved ones. She plans to attend ISU and study Pharmacy after high school graduation. Her mom is Sara Robb and Nicole’s sponsor is RPM Automotive of Fairfield.

Edith Diers is the 16-year-old daughter of Ted and Kandi Diers. In school, she is active in concert choir, marching band, jazz, concert band, and school plays. She is active in 4-H serving as a historian and photographer. Edith is a Little League volunteer for Fairfield, Libertyville, and Lockridge. In the future, she would like to be a social worker and plans to earn her 2-year degree while in high school. After high school, she will join the National Guard and earn her 4-year degree at UNI. Edith likes to sing, act and babysit. Edith’s sponsor is Ted Diers Auctioneer.

Maddie Black, a 2022 Pekin High School graduate, is 18 years old and the daughter of Matt and Dawn Black. She served as vice president of her FFA chapter and earned her Iowa Degree. In 4-H she served as vice president. In school, Maddie was captain of her high school wrestling team and she earned 2022 State Runner-Up at the Girl’s State Wrestling Tournament. She was awarded All-conference and state academic 21-22 honor roll. She was a children’s volunteer for church events, AAU Kids’ State Wrestling Tournament, and a member of Big Game Wrestling Club. She enjoys showing cattle and spending time with her nephew Shepherd. Maddie’s sponsor is Sprout and Black Family Agriculture.

Whitney Estle, the daughter of Robert and Denise Estle, is 17 years old. In school, she has been a cheerleader for six years, receiving letters and medals the last two years. She also participated in track. She is active with her church youth group and helped clean rooms for those in the nursing homes. She enjoys fishing, hunting, horse riding, and riding four-wheelers. After graduation, Whitney would like to go to the Ellsworth Equestrian College in Iowa Falls. Her sponsor is Estle Construction.