Outgoing fair queen hopes to raise bar for others

WASHINGTON — A much-anticipated pageant and busy following days are often the most visible time of year for the Washington County Fair Queen. In some years, such as 2023, the Iowa State Fair competition again thrusts local county royalty into the spotlight.

But as last summer ended and the glamour faded away, 2023 Fair Queen Taylor Bartholomew found herself wanting to do more.

She showed up in classrooms for ag-related lessons around the county, helped with the Washington Middle School FFA Ag Olympics, entered in and supervised the Washington Quilt Crawl. She helped run a farmers market ticket booth, showed up in parades for Kalona Days, Keota Fun Days and Washington Ridiculous Days, and plans to be in another come July 4. She’s also signed on to help judge the Muscatine County Fair Queen contest on July 17.

Fair Board Office Manager Jan Dallmeyer said Bartholomew’s volunteerism in the community was the fair queen’s own doing. Fair representatives were thrilled by her ambitions, though, and quite happy to sign off on them.

“We’re really just thrilled that she’s having a presence out in the community,” Dallmeyer said. “We know the girls are busy, they have 50 million other things going on, but that’s where Taylor wanted to spend her time and we are more than willing to support her.”

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Bartholomew, for her part, said she had lots of motivation. Some of it derives from a wish to serve as the role model she’s always known the Washington County Fair Queen to be. Some comes from the straightforward desire to better her community. Some, she admits, stems from an apparent inability to sit still.

At the Iowa State Fair Contest — where Bartholomew won third runner-up — she said she learned other county queens took pride in their community work after their respective fairs. She set out to raise the standard in Washington County accordingly.

“I was really sad, I was like, ‘Wow, Washington does not do anything,’” she said. “I’ve never seen the fair queen do this, I’ve never seen them do this. So I’m going to be the person to start it. I think it’s really important, you’re not just winning it to win for two weeks. You have the title for a whole year, so why not make the best of your whole year?”

While it may not have been others’ expectations for the queen when she was crowned, Bartholomew said she knew she wanted to pursue endeavors beyond the fairgrounds, from the moment she entered the contest in 2023.

That lines up with her other community efforts, unrelated to her royal title. She’s a longtime HACAP volunteer, and frequently jumps in to help with the Washington Fire Department’s pancake fundraiser as well as school sporting events.

“Having this platform was a step to help me get in a little deeper with our community, especially with the youth,” Bartholomew said. “But I love making people smile and I know that’s what we’re called to do … I’ve always just kind of found it my job to give back to my community, because I’ve grown up in such a loving county and community.”

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While the crown throws some extra status behind those efforts, Bartholomew said she brought the same vibes wherever she walked. There’s no switch into “county queen” mode, no change of demeanor between her time as a fair representative and an otherwise normal member of the community.

That’s helped keep the pressure low, Bartholomew said, despite the spotlight of her royal title.

“Winning the county fair queen contest … they picked you for who you are. They don’t want you to be fake during the whole process,” she said. “If they’re going to pick me for who I am, I’m going to act as who I am. So yes, you have to watch what you say and don’t get into politics, but honestly I’ve just been myself throughout the whole process.”

The 2023 Washington County Queen’s efforts go further than myriad volunteer appearances over the last year. Bartholomew has launched a new tradition, something she calls a “recipe book for success,” in which every county fair queen will write down their steps to success, then pass the collection of wisdom on to the next year’s winner along with the crown.

The idea is based on another county’s similar tradition, which she learned about at the state fair queen contest.

With the end of her reign coming soon, Bartholomew has big plans elsewhere. She’s signed up to study prepharmacy at Drake University, where she plans to join the rowing team and, of course, continue her volunteer efforts.

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As she prepares to pass on the crown and sash, the ‘23 queen said she knew she would forever remain a part of what she called the “fair queen family.” She met several former Washington County crown-wearers at the state fair, and expects to stay in touch with her hometown when she can.

While the transition may be tough, Bartholomew hopes her work over the last year has set a new standard for Washington County’s next ambitious fair queen, and all that follow in her footsteps.

“I just feel like I set a really good platform for the following years, and I hope that they take it and run with it,” she said. “I’m excited to see how much more they do, and I’m excited to hand over this list and say, ‘Here you go!’ But it’s definitely going to be emotional.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com