The Henderson County Fair kicked off last week on Wednesday, July 21st with the Henderson County Fair Pageant. Nine-year-old Kinleigh Fox was crowned Little Miss, and she shares her experience from the day of the pageant:
“First, in the morning we had to do our interviews really early. After that, I was pretty calm about it; it was just getting off of stage and making sure I did my best. Whatever happens is whatever happens. We had a pop question—mine was, “If you could be any animal, what would you be?” And, I said fox because they are cunning and smart.”
Mallie Rodeffer, who will be a sophomore at West Central High School this coming year, was crowned Henderson County’s 2021 Junior Miss. Rodeffer’s speech was a little different from the rest, which helped pave her own path toward being crowned:
“It was more about not fitting in, not being up to society’s standards, and not wearing a dress—that’s mainly what it was about. I did not wear a dress for the pageant because I wanted to prove you did not have to wear a dress to be able to win, and I guess it worked.”
Lastly, Kaylynn Hennefent was crowned Queen of the Henderson County Fair, earning her a triple crown. Hennefent explains what happens at the next level for county fair queens throughout Illinois and gives advice for girls who have an interest in the pageant:
“The queens of the fair will able to compete in the Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant, which is in January of 2022. If you have any interest in it at all, I would say go for it because it is a life-changing experience, and you learn a lot of new skills. It’s definitely worth it.”
To hear more from our Henderson County Fair Queens, check out the interview below.
