CAFNR is well-represented in Missouri State Fair queen contest
By Laura Chapuis

This year the Missouri State Fair was a little more exciting for members of CAFNR. August 11-12, 2005, the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia held the 2005 Queen Contest in the Mathewson Exhibition Center. This year, the queen contest consisted of 56 young ladies. Eight members of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at MU competed.

Members of CAFNR that competed in the queen contest included Heather Shauck, Megan Fox, Crystal Mathews, Julie Niemeyer, Sarah Jackson, Tyne Morgan, Megan Perry, and Jaclyn DeWeese.

“My favorite part of the contest was meeting all of the girls competing and sharing our common interests with each other.” Megan Fox said.

Megan Perry, of Bethel, Mo., was crowned the 2005 Missouri State Fair Queen. Megan is a senior, majoring in Agricultural Journalism at MU. Perry competed as Miss American Royal. This was Perry’s fourth year participating in the queen contest. Her desire to be part of the fair increased every year and motivated her to continue trying for queen.

“I grew up participating at the fair as an exhibitor in the hog and cattle barns, but as I moved away from home it became more difficult for me to groom my livestock all summer to get them ready for the fair. I didn't feel right asking my family to do the work for me so I looked for another way to use my speaking ability and outgoing personality to participate in the fair. Fair Queen seemed like a perfect fit, and since I kept moving up each year I participated, I decided to continue tweaking my training plan,” Perry said.

Some of the responsibilities of the queen include thanking sponsors, taking pictures with award winners, and primarily being an advocate for agriculture and the fair.

“My favorite part of being queen was interacting with young exhibitors and fair goers. Seeing a little girl's eyes light up when she tried on the tiara or getting a kiss on the cheek from a young admirer was priceless,” Perry said.

Perry believes that hard work and dedication plays an important role in the preparation for the queen contest. “To any ambitious ladies out there, be confident in yourselves and remember that even as royalty, your duty is to serve others whenever possible. Work hard, and don't be discouraged or afraid to try it again — anything worth doing is worth working for,” Perry said leaving any future contestants a little advice.

Perry will continue to represent the Missouri State Fair throughout the year and says she feels honored to have been chosen as the 2005 Missouri State Fair Queen.

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