By Jay Ermis
Eight students from Huntsville High School and one from New Waverly High School have entered the 2010 Walker County Fair queen’s contest.
The nine contestants met Sunday afternoon at the Walker County Fairgrounds for a mandatory meeting with queen’s contest chair Marjetta Spriggs, co-chair Stacy Spriggs Holman and committee members Carol Brown, Stephanie Brock and Courtney Dyer.
The deadline application for the contest was Feb. 1.
The nine contestants who will compete for the title March 20 are Kaci King, a HHS sophomore; Shelby Beaird, HHS freshman; Kaci Weeks, a HHS freshman; Randy Crapitto, a HHS senior; Shannon Riley, a HHS senior; Shyanne Riley, a New Waverly sophomore; McKayla Currier, a HHS senior; Reba Brown, a HHS junior; and Cherie Lee, a HHS junior.
The winner will be named during opening ceremonies of the 32nd annual Fair on March 27.
During Sunday’s meeting, contestants were given a rundown on the rules, how to interview and how to model.
Each contestants will have a project entered in the fair and will have to give a presentation on the projects during the actual contest March 20.
Sunday’s meeting was the last for the contestants with the queen’s contest committee.
In between, Brown said they will prepare for the contest.
Brown said meetings were held with the contestants in October and January when they were able to see the type of projects queen’s contestants entered in the past.
“One of the things different this year is that we just don’t have participates with livestock entries,” Spriggs said. “We have a couple of contestants who are showing food items.
“That is a different twist than we normally have running for queen, so we are excited about those girls coming out.”
Spriggs, who is in her sixth year as chair, said the contest has drawn up to 14 contestants, but “that has been several years ago. Nine is a good number and we’re really excited it has drawn this much interest.”
There were seven contestants in the 2009 contest which was won by Makenzie Hayman of New Waverly.
Between now and the March 20 contest, Spriggs said the contestants “should be working on their presentations. They should be selling memberships. They should be locating all the clothes they need for the fair parade, for the contest and opening ceremony.”
“There are a lot of little details they are still working on,” Spriggs. “For these girls from here to March 20, they have a lot to get done. An 8- to 10-minute presentation is not something that can be taken lightly.
“They have to practice and perfect it. That’s what we’re working on and making sure they are on the right track today.”
Spriggs said they are also working with the contestants on interviewing.
“We’re preparing them and talking with them the type of information they should know,” she said. “They need to know current events. They need to know fair history and we might ask them if they know who the governor is just to see if they know that.
“We might ask who the vice president is just to see if they are aware of what is going on in the world around them and make sure they will be at their best on contest day.”
