WASHINGTON – Taylor Bartholomew has been named the 2023 Washington County Fair Queen.

Bartholomew was crowned queen at the conclusion of the Washington County Fair Queen Pageant Sunday night at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Bartholomew is the daughter of Scott and Michelle Bartholomew, and will be a senior this fall at Washington High School.

Bartholomew said that she was thrilled to win the crown, and was heartened to see so many supporters in the audience.

“All the girls were so amazing,” she said. “It was nice to see all these wonderful people here supporting us.”

Bartholomew was one of six contestants in the pageant. Zoey Dennler was named first runner-up, while Greta Sieren was named Miss Congeniality. Also competing were Halle Hazelett, Kerra Longbine and Gwen Piette.

The six girls showed off three outfits throughout the evening, ranging from casual to formal. The master of ceremonies for the event was 2023 Miss Iowa Alysa Goethe, and she asked the girls a couple of questions. During the first round of questions, Goethe was asking them to answer from a list of 17 questions the girls had been given prior to the event, but they didn’t know which of the 17 they would be asked, and each girl was asked a different question. During the second round of questions, Goethe asked each contestant to elaborate on a personal experience they had written about on their application.

During her first question, Bartholomew was asked what she would do if she received $10,000, and Bartholomew said she would put it toward adopting a child.

During her second question, Bartholomew was asked to talk about her role as a bucket bottle mentor for Clover Kids.

“Every year, I get placed with a Clover Kid, and I meet with them around three times before the fair to teach them how to properly take care of an animal and walk them,” she said.

Apart from her work with 4-H, Bartholomew is active in her school’s Future Business Leaders of America program, where she serves as a state officer. She’s also involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society, National Honor Society, cross-country, basketball and track. After high school, she plans to attend either Drake University or the University of Iowa to be a pediatric pharmacist.

The contestants were given the freedom to choose their own escort, and all six of them chose their father. Bartholomew said it was an easy choice for her because she goes to her dad, Scott, for any problem or piece of advice.

“He’s always been my biggest supporter with everything I’m involved in,” she said. “Whether he thinks it’s a crazy idea or not, he’ll always be there by my side supporting me.”