Queen Pageant

 
 

2024 Lake County Fair Queen Pageant Application
A beloved tradition of the Lake County Fair since 1956


 

Lake County Fair Queen Pageant

 

Lake County Fair Pageant Directors

1957 - William Schroeder, Grayslake
1958-1959 - Jerry Cray, Waukegan
1960-1961 - Robert Kolb, Spring Grove
1962-1963 - James Lumber, Fox Lake
1964 - Stan Flood, Libertyville
1969 - Don Bowers, Ingleside
1970 - Gladys Warfield, Wauconda
1971-1978 - Dick Raftis, Grayslake
1979-1985 - Larry Leafblad, Grayslake
1989-2000 - John Lynn, Mundelein
2001-Present - Alyce Brownlee, Lake Villa

 
 

Miss Lake County Fair Queens

1956 - JoAnne Bielat, Libertyville
1957 - Lisa Beauchamp, Ft. Sheridan
1958 - Evelyn Wood, Deerfield
1959 - Lynn Geary, Barrington
1960 - Kathy Kostelny, Venetian Village
1961 - Diana Check, Grayslake
1962 - Barbara Johnson, Zion
1963 - Vivian Sauer, Grayslake
1964 - Marilyn Nix, Long Lake
1965 - Judith Elfering, Long Lake (1966 State Queen)
1966 - Joan Tanner, Antioch
1967 - Gale Niemo, Wauconda (State Finalist)
1968 - Connie Maiman, Waukegan
1969 - Tina Bracich, Cary (State Finalist)
1970 - Mary Durkee, Libertyville (2nd Runner Up at State)
1971 - Lisa Canty, Grayslake (State Finalist)
1972 - Judith Sloan, Wauconda
1973 - Tara Scallzitti, Antioch (Miss Congeniality at State)
1974 - Mary Joe Salerno, Mundelein (State Finalist)
1975 - Mary Kay Kriese, Half Day
1976 - Kristen Petersen, Lincolnshire
1977 - Ronda Kay Pierson, Zion (1st Runner Up at State)
1978 - Deborah Willett, Wauconda
1979 - Vicki Cawthon, Libertyville
1980 - Theresa Connor, Mundelein (1981 State Queen)
1981 - Cynthia Radtke, Deerfield (State Finalist)
1982 - Cheryl Johnson, Green Oaks (State Award in Swimsuit Competition)
1983 - Kimberly Kamradt, Wildwood
1984 - Denise Palmer, Green Oaks (2nd Runner Up at State)
1985 - Laura Jakubec, Barrington (1st Runner Up at State)
1986 - Angela Gregory, Mundelein
1987 - Susan LaPera, Lake Villa
1988 - Lori Van Erden, Grayslake (State Finalist)
1989 - Michelle Soucie, Grandwood Park
1990 - Melissa Nelson, Lake Bluff
1991 - Stacy Olkiewicz, Vernon Hills
1992 - Gretchen Prueter, Libertyville
1993 - Jodi Knox, Mundelein
1994 - Jillian Lotysz, Libertyville
1995 - Sarah Cook, Libertyville (State Finalist)
1996 - Jody Stewart, Zion
1997 - Christa Einhorn, Vernon Hills (Speech & Communication Award at State)
1998 - Kacy Schmer, Lindenhurst
1999 - Megan Thompson, Wauconda
2000 - Sara Neeve, Lake Villa
2001 - Molly Halvey, Grayslake (State Finalist)
2002 - Jessica Marro, Lake Villa
2003 - Meghan Cashman
2004 - Courtney Dugan
2005 - Mary Arzer
2006 - Ashley Willner (2007 State Queen)
2007 - Heather Callan (Best Non-Finalist Interview Award)
2008 - Summer Zwicke
2009 - Hannah Black (State Finalist)
2010 - Stephanie Corcilius
2011 - Brittani Schisler (2012 State Queen)
2012 - Kristen One, Vernon Hills (2nd Runner Up at State)
2013 - Meghan Waschow (State Finalist)
2014 - Julia Bauschke
2015 - Bethani Jacobsen (State Finalist)
2016 - Charlotte Roberts
2017 - Grace Lynn Keller (State Finalist, 2021 Miss Iowa)
2018 - Teaghan Callaway, Lake Villa (2nd Runner Up at State)
2019 - Samantha Pokorny (3rd Runner Up at State)
2021 - Alyssa Gallarneau, Lake Villa (Ruby Crum Award Winner)
2022 - Bella Jansen
2023 - Lily Troyan

Junior Miss Lake County Fair Queens

1996 - Jessica Marro, Lake Villa
1997 - Carla Beltchenko, Libertyville
1998 - Meg Shafer, Libertyville
1999 - Cassie Clark, Grayslake
2000 - Ashley Willner, Lake Villa
2001 - Emily Vester, Waukegan
2002 - Stephanie Corcilius, Lake Villa
2003 - Alyssa Knauer, Round Lake
2004 - Joann Ptasinski, Round Lake Beach
2005 - Mary McClure
2006 - Hailey Paramski
2007 - Alanna Watts
2008 - Grace Spagna
2009 - Karolina Ptasinski
2010 - Madison Sepanik
2011 - Gabrielle Glashagel
2012 - Teaghan Callaway, Lake Villa
2013 - Charlotte Roberts
2014 - Samantha Thibault
2015 - Alexis Norris
2016 - Brighton Callaway
2017 - Adriana Demos (2022 Miss Teen Illinois International)
2018 - Lily Troyan
2019 - Darby Leetch
2021 - McKlaine Bracewell, Gurnee
2022 - Hailey Dosch
2023 - Jenna Marasco

Little Miss Lake County Fair Queens

1990 - Brenna Wurtz, Vernon Hills
1991 - Kimberly Becker, Vernon Hills
1992 - Danielle Calcari, Waukegan
1993 - Stephanie Mustari, Vernon Hills
1994 - Carley Reiff, Libertyville
1995 - Colby Jacobsen, Vernon Hills
1996 - Mary Cashmore, Antioch
1997 - Katelyn Cankar, Lake Villa
1998 - Ashley Watson, Libertyville
1999 - Anna Wennstrom, Antioch
2000 - Samatha Miller, Mundelein
2001 - Rachel Kahn, Grayslake
2002 - Suraya Williams, North Chicago
2003 - Rachel Lester, Libertyville
2004 - Karolina Ptasinski, Round Lake Beach
2005 - Kierstin Thompson
2006 - Sydney Bell
2007 - Teaghan Callaway
2008 - Avaree Gordon
2009 - Samatha Thibault
2010 - Julia Fohlmiester
2011 - Alyssa Gallarneau
2012 - Mia Modell, Lindenhurst
2013 - Victoria Weaver
2014 - Haley Kalinowski
2015 - Natalie Winquist
2016 - Darby Leetch
2017 - Mia Green
2018 - Jenna Marasco
2019 - Jayla Wascow
2021 - Hannah Smith, Lake Villa
2022 - Ava Marabella
2023 - Ellie Mahan

 
 

2002 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Jessica Marro, Jr. Miss Stephanie Corcilius, and Little Miss Suraya Williams

2006 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Ashley Willner, Jr. Miss Hailey Paramski, and Little Miss Sydney Bell

2010 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Stephanie Corcilius, Jr. Miss Madison Sepanik, and Little Miss Julia Fohlmiester

2014 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Julia Bauschke, Jr. Miss Samantha Thibault, and Little Miss Haley Kalinowski

2018 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Teaghan Callaway, Jr. Miss Lily Troyan, and Little Miss Jenna Marasco

2023 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Lily Troyan, Junior Miss Jenna Marasco, Little Miss Ellie Mahan

2003 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Meghan Cashman, Jr. Miss Alyssa Knauer, and Little Miss Rachel Lester

2007 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Heather Callan, Jr. Miss Alanna Watts, and Little Miss Teaghan Callaway with pageant director Alyce Brownlee

2011 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Brittani Schisler, Jr. Miss Gabrielle Glashagel, and Little Miss Alyssa Gallarneau

2015 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Bethani Jacobsen, Jr. Miss Alexis Norris, and Little Miss Natalie Winquist

2019 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Samantha Pokorny, Jr. Miss Darby Leetch, and Little Miss Jayla Wascow

2004 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Courtney Dugan, Jr. Miss Joann Ptasinski, and Little Miss Karolina Ptasinski

2008 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Summer Zwicke, Jr. Miss Grace Spagna, and Little Miss Avaree Gordon

2012 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Kristen One, Jr. Miss Teaghan Callaway, and Little Miss Mia Modell

2016 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Charlotte Roberts, Jr. Miss Brighton Callaway, and Little Miss Darby Leetch

2021 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Alyssa Gallarneau, Junior Miss McKlaine Bracewell, Little Miss Hannah Smith

2005 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Mary Arzer, Jr. Miss Mary McClure, and Little Miss Kierstin Thompson

2009 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Hannah Black, Jr. Miss Karolina Ptasinski, and Little Miss Samantha Thibault

2013 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Meghan Waschow, Jr. Miss, and Little Miss

2017 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Grace Lynn Keller, Jr. Miss Adriana Demos, and Little Miss Mia Green

2022 Lake County Fair Queens:

Miss Bella Jansen, Junior Miss Hailey Dosch, Little Miss Ava Marabell

 

History of the Lake County Fair Queen Pageant

WHO WAS THE FIRST FAIR QUEEN?

As we begin to explore the history of the Lake County Fair Pageant, we instantly ask, “who was the first Fair Queen, and what was her experience like?” Her name was JoAnne Bielat. She was a 19-year-old resident of Libertyville and an elementary education major at Mt. Mary College in Milwaukee. She joined the contest simply for the experience. JoAnne remembers that there were perhaps 100 contestants in that first pageant. As the preliminary process continued, the finalists were interviewed on WKRS Radio, and then, on the first night of the Fair, the final ten mingled with the judges before JoAnne was announced the first Lake County Fair Queen. She proudly wore clothing that she made herself, although it was not a requirement. There were no swimsuits, no “pageantry,” and her crown was made of cardboard. The prize package included a $100 savings bond and free dance lessons. As Fair Queen, JoAnne led the traditional Fair parade, then proceeded to a tent, where Fair visitors were encouraged to meet the Queen. Two weeks later, JoAnne invited the 7 bachelor judges to her home, where she cooked them a chicken dinner. Today, JoAnne is married to George Boehm. They reside in Libertyville.

CRITERIA

The criteria for the ideal Queen have for the most part remained the same. Young ladies are judged on their communication skills, beauty and poise. In the 1950’s and into the 1960’s, the requirements included homemaking abilities. In 1959 the contestants were awarded extra points if they wore a dress they made themselves. There was even the “baking category” for at least two years and contestants were encouraged to demonstrate their culinary skills - specifically decadent desserts. In 1959, Lynn Geary of Barrington baked taste toffee squares for the judges. And in 1960, Kathy Kostelny from Venetian Village chose to wow the judges with her special strawberry cream puffs. But there was a hitch - she had never made them before. She completed a crash course before participating in this category as a finalist. Kathy’s efforts on that Saturday afternoon of the Fair proved successful, she was crowned Fair Queen the very next day. In a Grayslake Times article in 1961, Queen Contest Chairman, Robert Kolb, was quoted saying, “good looks are only part of the requirements for a Fair Queen. She must also have homemaking talents, personality and poise, and knowledge of activities in the world around her.” The baking category was discontinued that same year, but only because of time constraints. The following section provides a current guide to the selection process of the Fair Queen.

CATEGORIES OF COMPETITION

The categories of competition have been fairly consistent throughout the history of the Fair Pageant. They were developed to mimic the guidelines of the State Pageant and are best described by quoting the State Pageant program. Personal Interviews count for 35% of the score. The four-minute session with the panel of judges is an opportunity to learn about each contestant, her personality, qualities, and attributes. Stage Presence points are accumulated while the contestants appear in their evening gowns. It’s not the gown that counts here - it’s the grace, poise, and confidence the contestant projects that accumulate 20% of the score. The Beauty of Face and Physical Fitness portion also counts for 20%. While the contestants are in their swimsuits, judges look for proportion of figure, bone structure, muscle tone, posture, walk, and facial beauty. By the way, the start of the bathing suit competition can be traced back to 1963. In that pageant, only the 7 finalists competed in this category. The addition of this category was due to the inclusion of it at the State level of competition, as is the reason for its existence today. Solid color, one-piece swimsuits are requested and the Miss contestants are instructed to keep their choice very conservative. During the Speech and Communication Skills competition, each contestant has the opportunity to speak for one minute on any subject they choose. Since the majority of the Queen’s job is to promote the Fair and agriculture, how a contestant speaks and relates to a crowd is very important. This portion is worth 25% of the total score. There are five finalists determined through this process. The preliminary scores are erased and the finalists are individually asked three questions. The judges rate the remaining contestants on a scale of 1 through 5 - 1 being their choice for Fair Queen. A few specialty awards were created in 1983 acknowledging those non-finalists with the highest scores in each category. The process has been conducted similarly for the Junior and Little Miss Pageants, with shorter time frames and age-appropriate subject matter for the Speech and Communication Skills competition, as well as the exclusion of the bathing suit competition.

JUDGING PANEL

For the first few years of the Pageant, there was something unique about the panel of judges used to select the new Fair Queen. It was comprised of seven of Lake County’s finest bachelors. According to the Grayslake Times in 1956, the bachelors asked to select the first Fair Queen were recruited by the “irrepressible” Charlie Wilson, a WKRS salesman and “man about town.” This tradition continued successfully and respectably for ten years or so. In fact, one year in particular was exceptionally successful. In 1962, Pageant Chairman Jim Lumber of Fox Lake, warned the panel of bachelor judges, “keep a safe distance from the young ladies. We are only here to select a new Queen.” Ironically, it was Jim himself who met and eventually married the Fair Queen that year. Jim is now an attorney in Antioch and he and Barbara Johnson Lumber reside in Round Lake. From the 1980’s to present, there has been a panel of 5 judges invited to help select the Fair Queen. And there are criteria is this selection process as well. “Careful thought is put into the selection of our judges,” says Alyce Brownlee, the present Pageant Director. It is mandatory that they live outside of Lake County, therefore avoiding any conflict of interest. And there is consideration in assembling a group with a variety of professional and personal interests, often including some pageant experience. With the infamous panel of bachelor judges in the past, there are both males and females invited to make the selection. “Perhaps the most important criteria of all is to consider a judge’s personality… his or her ability to communicate enthusiastically which, in turn, makes the contestants feel as comfortable as possible in their interview,” added Alyce Brownlee. Judges are reminded that points are to be assigned independently and that their opinions will be respected confidentially.

STATE COMPETITION

The Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs first crowned a “Queen of Queens” during their annual State convention in 1959. It is in January of every year that almost 70 young women from across the State travel to Springfield to represent their respective fairs and compete for the prestigious title of Miss Illinois County Fair Queen. The new State Queen becomes a summer employee of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. She works with the Bureau of County Fairs and Horse Racing to promote the local and state fairs; and help increase awareness of the importance of the agricultural industry in Illinois. Traveling approximately 12,000 miles over the summer, her hectic schedule includes speaking before the Illinois House and Senate, addressing the State FFA Convention and visiting about 30 fairs. She spends the entire 10 days of the Illinois State Fair on the fairgrounds and visits the DuQuoin State Fair as well. The 2002 Miss Illinois County Fair Queen, Jennifer Maurer of Effingham County, helped the Illinois State Fair celebrate it’s 150th Anniversary and the DuQuoin State Fair’s 100th Anniversary of 4-H.

The Miss Lake County Fair Queen has included the task of representing Lake County at the State level since 1959. She also represents her Fair during County Fair Day at the State Fairgrounds in August and the Northern Zone Meeting in November. Presently, the Lake County Fair boasts of two Miss Illinois County Fair Queens, Judith Elfering of Long Lake in 1966 and Theresa Connor of Mundelein in 1981.

PRIZE PACKAGE

The prize package for the Fair Queen is certainly notable. it was around 1959 that the tradition of rewarding the Queen with a week long vacation began. Lynn Geary of Barrington won a trip to Miami that year. The next year, Kathy Kostelny won a trip for two to New York City. She might have even chosen to wear her new fur collar donated by the Blue Ribbon Mink Ranch in Grant Township. In 1961, Diane Check of Grayslake won a trip for two to Miami Beach, flying aboard a jet airliner with a 1961 Chevrolet convertible at her disposal. She also received a wristwatch, radio and a $50 wardrobe. And the 1965 Queen, Judith Elfering, traveled to the New York World’s Fair with accommodations at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The vacation packages were absent from the prize packages shortly thereafter, but the Lake County Fair and area businesses have continued to treat the Queen royally. The initial $500 scholarship awarded to the Queen at the end of her reign has increased to $1000. The 2002 Lake County Fair Queen, Jessica Marro of Lake Villa, received $1300 in cash contributions, a diamond pendant, free hairstyles, makeup and manicures before every event, complimentary dry cleaning of her royal attire, and even free car washes for the year of her reign. Queens from neighboring communities donate to the prize package and area businesses are generous with gift certificates and products.

RESTRUCTURING

In 1979, under the direction of Larry Leafblad of Grayslake, the Lake County Fair Pageant was reorganized. In order for a young woman to compete at the Lake County Fair, she must have first competed in a local pageant. In other words, the County’s communities acted as the preliminary process in the selection of Fair Queen. The transition was a successful one. In 1983, for instance, there were 23 contestants at the Fair from various other towns. It was around 1985 that the At-Large Pageant was created, a Pageant sponsored by the Fair offering competition for those young women who wanted to vie for the title of Queen, but had no local pageant available to them. Remarkably, the 1985 Miss Lake County Fair Queen, Laura Jakubec of Barrington, won at the At-Large Pageant and went on to be the First Runner Up at the State competition.

PARTICIPATION

There have been an impressive number of participants in the Queen contest through the years. The early years brought the most; contestant numbers ranged from 32 to an astonishing 100 in 1964. The Grayslake Times said, “after 30 hours of interviews, cocktail dresses, formals and displaying some clothes she made, Marilyn Nix of Long Lake was proclaimed Queen.” In the 1980’s, when the structure of the Pageant was revised to allow Lake County communities to act as a preliminary process and refer their individual queens to the Fair competition, the number of Fair Queen contestants automatically developed into a more consistent number. The overall interest in the County could still gauge the interest in the Fair competition, however. For example, in the year 2001, there were 15 Junior Miss contestants at the Fair, but they were the “finalists” of over 150 Junior Miss contestants that had competed in their own communities in the months prior to the Fair Pageant.

APPEARANCES

The number of royal appearances made by the Lake County Fair Queen during the year of her reign has increased dramatically over the years. In 1969, a Grayslake Times editorial stated that the 1968 Lake County Fair Queen, Connie Maiman of Waukegan, had put off starting college because she thought she would be busy with an abundance of regal duties. “What a pity,” claims the journalist, “all the talent and beauty embodied in the past Miss Lake County Fair Queens - 14 of them to present" - going to waste simply because no one has gone to the trouble to arrange dates for her.” The 1980’s provided more appearance opportunities not only to the Fair Queen, but to her Court as well. By the 1990’s, the Little and Junior Misses were joining in on the activities. And presently, queens from every community, and every age group, are offered a variety of activities during their reign. Here are some examples: Habitat for Humanity, PADS Crisis Services Food Drive, Veteran’s Administration Statewide “Operation Cheer,” Winchester House Christmas Caroling and Valentine Bingo, Toys for Tots Drive, Fine Dining Etiquette Lessons, Tour of the Fair, and Tour of Golden Oaks Dairy Farm (Wauconda). In October of 2002, a group of over 150 people including Fair Queens, community Queens and family members traveled to Chicago to participate in the Columbus Day Parade. The outing has become a tradition and the Lake County Queens’ Fashion Show Fundraiser began as an annual event in 1999. The Country Squire of Grayslake is the setting with over 45 queens participating as models and hostesses. The guest list tops 300 and thus far, the Lake County Queens have raised over $20,000 for various Lake County charities.

LITTLE MISS COMPETITION

The Little Miss category was added to the Fair competition in 1990. The competition was growing in popularity in other Illinois counties, and many Lake County communities had been adding Little Misses to their own pageants since the mid 1980’s. There were 12 Lake County communities represented at the first Little Miss Lake County Fair Pageant. There were no interviews, but the Littles competed in traditional Fair Pageant fashion, in “Fairwear,” “Swimwear” and “Partywear.” The swimsuit category was deleted in 2001. A Little Miss should be between the ages of 6 and 8. The first Little Miss Lake County Fair Queen was Brenna Wurtz of Vernon Hills.

JUNIOR MISS COMPETITION

The Junior Miss category was added to the Fair competition in 1996. As in the Little Miss category, this title was now growing in popularity across the State of Illinois and had been incorporated into the community pageants. There were 9 Lake County communities represented at the first Junior Miss Lake County Fair Pageant. The Junior Miss contestant should be between the ages of 11 and 13. The first Junior Miss Lake County Fair Queen was Jessica Marro of Lake Villa.

CONCLUSION

The history of the Lake County Fair Queen Pageant is both interesting and entertaining. But more importantly, its long standing presence at the Lake County Fair sends and important message. The position of the Fair Queen has proven to be effective - the Lake County Fair can celebrate future anniversaries with the knowledge that it has included a program where young women are provided the opportunity to serve as positive examples to the public. And their experience helps encourage them to become leaders in their communities and successful in whatever career paths they choose.