As with each Monroe County Fair, the first day of the week was capped off with a pageant naming the year’s Monroe County Fair Queen and Little Miss.

Folks filled the stands in the fairground arena to watch the festivities through the evening, with Haley Bode being crowned this year’s queen and Ava Helms serving alongside her as Little Miss.

Both Bode and Helms were also recognized for having the most support in the crowd, each selling the highest number of T-shirts benefiting the pageant.

As with last year, the pageant began with 10 young ladies gathered on stage to compete for the Little Miss title.

Alongside Helms, participants included Natalie Jones, Waylenn Kruse, Raeann Knollhoff, Alaina Mercer, Hadalyne Howell, Haven Grace Schaefer, Isabell Shelton, Rose Hoeffken and Brooklyn Kubelka.

With 2023 Fair Queen Jada Voelker and Little Miss Mila Acock helping the first part of the pageant run smoothly, each of the contestants had a chance to shine as they answered questions and shared fun facts about the county and the fair.

Standing with Voelker and Acock, 8-year-old Helms spoke about her time fishing and camping with family, getting to do stunts and spend time with friends through cheerleading and her love for each of her cats.

With Jarod Chiasson serving as emcee, the evening continued with the fair queen pageant.

Contestants standing on stage with Bode included Chelsea Nehls, Erica Runge, Janella Neary, Gracie Kohler and Tru Schilling.

Each contestant had a particularly strong opening speech following their introduction, with Bode bringing folks on a tour aboard the “Monroe County Express,” walking the audience through her connection to Pen2Paper Art Studio in Columbia, her love of the Waterloo Municipal Band in her hometown of Waterloo and her memories with friends in Valmeyer.

“Time sure has flown by!” Bode said. “We’re reaching the caboose of our tour, Valmeyer, where I love to watch the sunset with my friends. I may be biased, but nothing beats a Southern Illinois sunset with some of your closest people. And now that I think about it, it’s the people that make Monroe County so special.”

Nehls spoke about the many small businesses in the county, encouraging folks to help support their neighbors as they’ve encountered a number of difficulties in recent years.

“Coming from a family of small business owners, I’ve seen the late nights, hard work and weekends that go into owning a small business,” Nehls said. “Recently, small businesses are struggling with the effects of inflation, labor shortages and the rise of online retailers… So when you’re looking for your next cute outfit or even to buy some fresh produce, support local Monroe County businesses.”

Runge stood out in her field with a particularly striking metaphor, describing how she’s been able to thrive in the county thanks to “the power of a little sunshine and a whole lot of fertilizer.”

“I stand before you tonight not as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed young woman but as a proud ear of corn,” Runge said. “Being an ear of corn is not just about being tall and yellow. It’s about growth, resilience and, yes, a little bit of humor, even if it’s a bit corny.”

Neary also emphasized the agricultural theme, reminding those in attendance that, of all professions, they rely on farmers every day of the year.

“For Taylor Swift fans, it’s undeniably the year of the Eras Tour, and for cup collectors like myself, it’s definitely the year of the Stanley tumbler,” Neary said. “But for the Illinois Farm Bureau, it was deemed as the year of the farmer. Standing before you as a proud fourth-generation farmer and a fierce advocate for the industry, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Not because I disagree, but because I thought ‘Isn’t every year the year of the farmer?’”

Kohler, a twin, shared a personal perspective with the pageant, offering some insight into family life with her siblings.

“Arguments were common, and since we were technically born a minute apart, the oldest used the advantage,” Kohler said. “He claimed that that was the best minute of his life, but we all know that’s a lie. Having two best friends that I have experienced my entire life with is something that I’m learning not to take for granted. And while my parents did come home with all fingers and toes, they also brought home three lifelong friends.”

Schilling wrapped up the opening speeches with fond words for all the ag teachers out there who face a hectic teaching life but still manage to give their students the support they need to thrive, personally praising her own mentor.

“The impact of ag teachers in school has helped grow the next generation of leaders in our ag industry,” Schilling said. “Because of awesome ag teachers, I was able to grow as an FFA member to achieve my state and American FFA degrees. The lessons former Valmeyer high school ag teacher Mark Mueller taught in and out of the classroom are ones I will never forget.”

Going through the business attire and swimsuit portions of the pageant, each contestant shined with their evening gowns.

Nehls wore a coral sequined off-the-shoulder column gown with tulle neckline ruffle, Runge sported a gold sequined V-neck mermaid gown with court-length train and Bode wore a navy velvet sweetheart strapless mermaid gown with court-length train, light-blue rhinestone accents and a distinctly flowing choker chiffon cape.

Neary took to the stage with a turquoise taffeta A-line gown with V-neck and rhinestone belt, Kohler was adorned in a purple iridescent-shimmer A-line gown with off-the-shoulder ruffled neckline and Schilling strutted on stage with a maroon column gown with sequined accent design and spaghetti straps.

After each contestant answered a trio of randomly selected questions, they also had the opportunity to share their vision as the next ambassador of the Monroe County Fair.

Bode said her focus would be on the youth as the future of the ag industry and the world. She expressed her interest in getting involved in the classroom or local events to improve ag awareness and “make sure people know where our food comes from and how we can continue to feed the world.”

Following the pageant, Bode shared her initial response upon being crowned Fair Queen

“I love Monroe County, and I am so excited that I get to represent Monroe County,” Bode said. “They’ve supported me in so many different ways.”

She also had kind things to say about her fellow contestants, noting the guidance several of them had provided as she made her first foray into pageantry.

“The other five girls that I ran with were the best girls I could have had in the competition with me,” Bode said. “They were all so sweet and so kind, and some of them had competed before so they knew how to help us that hadn’t completed.”

Bode’s mother Laura also had good things to say about the pageant, speaking to her daughter’s drive and passion and the support that she received.

“Participating in the Monroe County Fair Queen Pageant was probably a little bit out of her comfort zone,” Laura said. “She learned a lot, she met a lot of new people. She went out there and, I think most importantly, she went out there and was herself, the Haley Bode that we all know and love.”

As of Tuesday, Bode was very positive about the start of fair week and the response she and her Little Miss have received.

“Just yesterday alone, me and Ava have seen so much support from the community, which is just amazing,” Bode said. “It’s been super cool to interact with people that are in the ag industry that I know, also being able to bring other people outside of the industry that are just common fairgoers into the industry by showing them what agriculture truly means in Monroe County.”

Though Helms didn’t have much to say personally, her mother Lynn spoke quite positively about the pageant experience, voicing how happy her daughter was to receive the tiara.

Ava has also enjoyed her time alongside Haley as they tend to their duties through the fair.

“It’s been fun. I’ve been coming to the fair since I was nine months old, and she’s been watching the Little Miss pageant for the last three or four years, insisting she was gonna do it,” Lynn said. “She did it, and she loves it. We love seeing all the animals up close.”

With the rest of the week ahead of her and Ava, Haley was quite positive about spending even more time at the fair.

“It’s been super fun to interact with the junior and the 4-H livestock exhibitors, as well as all of the superintendents,” Bode said. “They’re all so welcoming and all ready to help me and Ava.”