More than 2,500 people attended this year’s 115th Annual Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs convention at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield, where the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant also takes place. Miss Warren County Fair Queen Malia Killey was named a Top 16 Finalist out of the seventy-five contestants:
“I was announced as Number 13, so there was so much anticipation and nerves when we started doing the Final 16. We started with a group dance to kind of get our nerves out, but then they started announcing. I knew that I was going to fall kind of in the middle of each side just because of my height. They go through the first half, and we were nearing the end of the middle, and I was like ‘oh my goodness if I don’t get called, if I didn’t make it,’ so I was so nervous, my heart was racing. Then he finally called Number 50, I was so excited. I just had so much joy,” recalls Killey.
“Then whenever we all went back to regroup and get back into our lines to go compete again, all of us were just in tears, we were so excited. We were all hugging each other. It was such an incredible experience,” Killey adds.
Krista Phillips of Effingham County was crowned the 68th Miss Illinois County Fair Queen and will reign over the 2026 Illinois State Fair and DuQuoin State Fair.
Hear more from Malia’s experience competing in the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant below.
