ALEXANDRIA — A tiara tends to look out of place in a barn, unless of course it’s on the head of a 4-H Fair queen.
Presenting awards at livestock events is a primary duty of the Madison County Fair queen and her court. And sometimes the job requires quick maneuvering.
Like Wednesday evening, when this year’s first runner-up, Olivia Kitts, dressed in jeans and a brown shirt, went from showing a friend’s ewe at the sheep competition to handing out a trophy for reserve grand champion ewe a few minutes later.
“Pretty much I just keep these clothes on and just put on my sash,” Kitts said.
Along with fair queen Amy May and Lauren Dawson, who was second runner-up and Miss Congeniality, Kitts, 16, has been putting in 14-hour days all week, juggling official duties with their own 4-H competitions.
“You get to meet a lot of people,” said Dawson, 18, who is not a livestock exhibitor but received two reserve grand champion awards on 4-H projects this year.
She said one of the perks of being in the court was learning about the animals.
May, 17, had shown her sheep early Wednesday and later helped present trophies throughout the championship rounds, just a few of the hundreds of awards she’ll hand out this week.
Dressed in a black cotton dress and that rhinestone tiara, May posed for photographs with winning sheep showers, adding a touch of sparkle to snapshots that were mostly denim, flannel and, of course, wool.
“It is tiring and a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it,” she said.
Thanks to the help of her two attendees, May said the week had gone exceptionally smooth.
But one can’t be around all those animals and not take some precautions. May said the pig show on Monday was especially risky, with pigs nearly plowing through crowds.
And Dawson, the one who doesn’t show animals, said she quickly learned to look where she walked.
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9:12 p.m.: Queen adds style to livestock show
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