Madison Ballard was crowned the 25th Miss Warren County at the annual Miss, Junior Miss, and Little Miss Warren County Fair Pageant last Saturday night at Eldridge Park in Roseville. Madison will enter her senior year at Illinois State University in the fall, majoring in Ag Communication & Leadership, along with minoring in Mass Media. She currently works as an intern with the Illinois Corngrowers Association.
Ballard was one of 10 participants in the Fair Queen field. She encourages more young ladies to compete in pageants because of the many benefits that come with it:
“If you’re someone that might be nervous about public speaking or getting in front of a crowd, this is a great way to build that confidence. Also just having that confidence to get out there and really just give a speech or have an interview, you do gain a lot of attributes … A lot of pageants they think – it’s just a beauty pageant, you just go up and walk on stage. Well, no. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to really enhance and build skills as a woman and as a leader in the community,” she said.
Madison will now compete for the title of Miss Illinois County Fair Queen at the 2019 Illinois State Fair. That competition will be held from Jan. 17-20 in Springfield.
Madeline Blaesing earned 1st Runner-up honors, while Haley Johnston brought home the 2nd Runner-up distinction.
Congratulations to Madison and all these young ladies for their great showings at the 25th Annual Miss, Junior Miss, and Little Miss Warren County Fair Pageant!
written by Jackson Kane
