Fair Queen Contest Rules

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Our Fair Queen Program is designed to promote greater public understanding, awareness and interest in Pennsylvania’s number one industry - agriculture1. The Fair Queen and Ambassadors share a unique opportunity to promote our fair and our County’s agriculture, as well as an opportunity for personal and professional growth, and development. The Fair Queen Program provides each participant the opportunity to build and enhance confidence in her abilities, poise in her presentations, pride in her accomplishments, skills in communication, knowledge of the fair industry and sportsmanship in accepting success or defeat gracefully. In addition to building skills and relationships, a scholarship is presented to the elected Queen, and she will have the opportunity to represent our fair at the State Fair Queen Contest in January 2011.

Fair Queen Contest Rules, Judging Guidelines & Obligations

This is not a beauty contest. You do not need artistic talent to enter. Entrants will be judged on their ability to communicate (speaking ability), message, promptness, and appearance. Judging will take place prior to the Fair. The results will remain sealed until Monday, July 26, 2010 at 8:00 p.m., the opening night of the Fair.

1. Entrant must be a female at least 16 years of age and not over 20 years old by June 1, 2010, be a U.S. Citizen and a resident of Pennsylvania. In addition, she must also meet one of the following criteria:

  • or attend/graduated from one of the surrounding school districts (Phoenixville, Spring-Ford, Owen J. Roberts, Downingtown, Great Valley, CAT-Pickering or Renaissance Academy),
  • an exhibitor of the fair,
  • a resident of Chester County.

2. Be single, have never been married, have not been pregnant nor given birth to a child.

3. Not be a former Fair Queen winner or a former State Fair Queen contestant. You are not permitted to hold any additional title during your reign, for any commodity, group or pageant. Exception: if you are elected the "2011 PA State Fair Queen" you would retain both titles until the crowning of the next Kimberton Fair Queen.

4. Entrants must have their parent or legal guardians’ signature on the entry form. The purpose of this signature is to allow Kimberton Fair to use the transcript for the interview and to be sure the entrant’s parents/guardian is aware of her participation in this contest and gives their consent.

5. Entrants should be able to meet all time commitments, Queen Obligations and dress code as set forth by the Kimberton Fair Board and the Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Program.

6. Be an upstanding citizen and be of good moral character (at the discretion of the Fair Board).

7. Entrants will be required to attend each night of the 2010 Kimberton Community Fair – July 26 – 31, 2010; and participate in nightly activities.

8. Jeans, t-shirts, crop tops, any clothing advertising something other than Kimberton Fair are not acceptable items to be worn to any event where you are representing the Kimberton Community Fair (i.e., during fair week, school visits, etc). Acceptable clothing would be dressy shorts, sundresses, skirts, or dress pants. No item should be revealing in anyway (cut too short [2" past fingertips at sides of body] or too low). Excessive make-up or jewelry is not permitted, and no body piercing (other than earrings) should be visible during any Contest or fair activity.

9. The crowned Queen will be required to fulfill additional obligations and appearances after Fair week, found on page 5 of this document. These obligations may only be waived at the sole discretion of the Kimberton Fair Queen Coordinator or the Kimberton Community Fair Board based on valid reasons with advanced notification. The Fair Princess may be asked to also attend functions with or in place of the Queen (if the Queen is unavailable for valid reasons).

10. A "Zero Tolerance Policy" has been established for the Kimberton Fair Queen Program. The following will be considered violations of the policy and will be grounds for immediate dismissal.

  • Illegal types of behavior, such as drug or tobacco product use, alcohol consumption;
  • Smoking, by a legal aged person, will only be tolerated in private settings, never in a public location while representing the Kimberton Fair;
  • Behavior during the fair or other related functions that is unbecoming or detrimental to the Queen program as determined by the Kimberton Fair Board;
  • Unresponsiveness to the requests and contacts of the Queen Coordinator or the Fair Board;
  • Disrespectful behavior of/with others. Boyfriends or significant others should display respectful behavior when accompanying the Queen. The general public and the Fair Board should be able to believe any male accompanying you is your "family". Public displays will not be tolerated.
  • Clothing or dress that is indecent or inappropriate as set forth in the rules.
  • Admitting unauthorized personnel into the Queen’s Room. Authorized personnel include Fair Board members, contestants and their Guardian’s, or as authorized by the Queen Coordinator;
  • Pregnancy/Marriage
  • Conviction of crime other than minor traffic offense.

Always remember that your actions or appearance portray an image of our fair to the public.

11. In the event that the elected Queen is unable to fulfill her duties or is dismissed and replaced by the next eligible Ambassador, she will immediately relinquish her title and all privileges and prizes awarded to her. The sash and crown are the property of the Kimberton Community Fair and will be immediately returned in the same condition as received or reimburse the Fair in the amount of $70 for replacements.

12. The scholarship award will be presented after all commitments and obligations have been met and proof of scholarship eligibility by presenting a current tuition bill or grade report from her college/university. The entrants may receive a variety of individual prizes.

13. The elected Queen is expected to be responsive in a timely fashion to the calls and emails of the Queen Coordinator or the Fair Board members.

The deadline for entry is June 15, 2010.

The decision of the judge’s and/or the Kimberton Fair Committee is final. This contest may be cancelled if we have two or less entrants. You will be contacted by phone if this occurs.

The Kimberton Fair Committee has the discretion of dismissal should any improprieties or negative circumstances occur (see Zero Tolerance). Any dismissed Queen will be succeeded by the next eligible Ambassador. Conviction of any crime other than a minor traffic offense shall be cause for immediate dismissal.

1 Agriculture includes various commodities of Pennsylvania including livestock (dairy, beef, poultry, swine, goats, sheep, equine, and rabbits), agronomic/horticulture/forestry, and other general agri-science and agri-business organizations including many "Green" initiatives.

Judging Guidelines

Winner receives a $500 Scholarship upon meeting the following obligations:

  • Each prospective entrant must complete the Entry Form. Please read the entry form before filling it out. Entrants should outline what she wants to say on another piece of paper, then type or print the application. The entry form is used for publicity and the interview, so please complete it neatly. Separate paper may be used if additional space is needed.
  • Write an essay on "What Kimberton Community Fair means to my Community". Essay must be 300 words or less and submitted at the May Social Party (Sunday, May 9th). The essay will be judged for content, grammar and spelling.
  • The speech competition will be held on Saturday, May 22, 2010 beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Kimberton Fire Company, Rt. 113. Please enter at door #1 (flagpole). Entrants must be prepared to give a 3-5 minute speech to the judges on "Why You should come to the Kimberton Community Fair". This should be a persuasive speech appropriate for an adult audience. Cue cards may be utilized. Entrants will be judged on the effectiveness of their public speaking skills; not "entertainment". Props may be used if they enhance the speech. Computer based presentations are not permitted.
  • The interview will be held on Saturday, May 22, 2010 immediately following the speech. For the interview, each entrant will meet alone with the panel of judges for 5-10 minutes. The judges will utilize the information from your application as well as additional questions. You will be judged on your conversational ability, the answers to the judges’ questions, your appearance/poise, activities, and knowledge of the fair industry.

NOTE: The outfit for the interview and the speech should be of a business type. The night of the crowning a prom type dress should be worn.

Jeans, t-shirts, crop tops, any clothing advertising something other than Kimberton Fair are not acceptable items to be worn to any event where you are representing the Kimberton Community Fair (i.e., during fair week, school visits, etc). Acceptable clothing would be dressy shorts, sundresses, skirts, or dress pants. No item should be revealing in anyway (cut too short [2" past fingertips at sides of body] or too low). Excessive make-up or jewelry is not permitted, and no body piercing (other than earrings) should be visible during any Contest or fair activity.

IMPORTANT CONTESTANT DATES

June 15 Deadline for Entry

July 11 Saturday Speech & Interview Contests

July XX Monday Public Speaking Presentation 7 p.m.

July 11 Sunday Scrapbook Day 10 a.m.

July 18 Wednesday Queen Crowning Rehearsal 7 p.m.

July 26 Monday Queen Crowning 5 p.m.

(Hair, make-up & nails will be done)

These dates are required for all contestants

(if there is a problem with any date, please talk to the Queen Coordinator, other arrangements may be available)

Kimberton Fair Queen Obligations

The crowned Queen will be required to fulfill additional obligations and appearances after Fair week, as presented below. These obligations may only be waived at the sole discretion of the Kimberton Fair Queen Coordinator or the Kimberton Community Fair Board based on valid reasons with advanced notification. The Fair Princess may be asked to also attend functions with or in place of the Queen (if the Queen is unavailable for valid reasons).

In the event that the elected Queen is unable to fulfill her duties and is replaced by the Princess, or next eligible ambassador, she will immediately relinquish her title and all privileges and prizes awarded to her. The sash and crown are the property of the Kimberton Community Fair and will be immediately returned in the same condition as received or she will reimburse the fair $70 for replacement.

  • Have a meeting with the Queen Coordinator, yourself (the new Queen), and your parents to review the expectations of the Kimberton Fair Board and these Obligations following the Opening Ceremony or within one week following the fair.
  • Write monthly or semi-monthly articles for the area newspapers. Some suggested topics would be:
    • How it feels to be the new Kimberton Fair Queen
    • Anticipation of going to the State competition
    • How you did at the state competition
    • Upcoming new Queen search
    • Upcoming fair
    • Fundraisers
    • Agricultural highlights
    • Community activities
  • Attend 4-day Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs Convention in January 2011. If she is unable to attend the state level competition, the Princess may be sent in her place and will represent the Kimberton Fair as our Queen for the remainder of the year, at the discretion of the Fair Board. Kimberton Fair will pay the actual expenses of the Queen and one chaperone to the state contest. The alternate (Princess) and a guest will also be invited to attend the Coronation Banquet at the state competition; the fair will cover the cost of the dinner. Any additional attendees will be at their own cost.
  • Attend the Farm-City Day in October. (Inter-city youth brought to the farm show building to learn about agriculture)
  • The Queen and Princess must send a report to the Fair Queen Committee every two months. The repost must include information on the activities and events she has completed and plans of upcoming activities and events.
  • Attend Chester County Toastmasters Club to practice speech prior to convention. (Toastmasters is a club to help with public speaking skills, many companies use this group to prepare for presentations)
  • Read books to local daycare students about fairs.
  • Help create pages for the "Queen Scrapbook". (We have the supplies)
  • Talk to local service groups about volunteerism and the fair. ("Why you should come to our Fair")
  • Learn about county and state agriculture. Learn how cheese is made at Birchrun Farms; See how grapes are turned into wine at the local vineyards;
  • Attend regional community events (Mushroom Festival, Community Days), as they are arranged.
  • Sponsor support, as requested.
  • Be present/active in Kimberton Fire Company fund raisers.
  • Help other service clubs with fund raisers (Lions Club sell Easter flowers, Kiwanis sell ducks), as requested.
  • Support regional agricultural businesses by appearances as requested or arranged.
  • Tour the State Capitol Building, meet our local legislative body and be introduced to the State Legislative bodies, as arranged.
  • Participate in the promotion and activities of the 2011 Fair Queen Contest (attending presentations at schools, 4-H meetings, etc.)
  • Crown the 2011 Kimberton Fair Queen

ALL activities will be set up by the Fair Queen Coordinator. If you have an additional suggestion please provide the details to the Coordinator.

Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Obligations

Below is a list of the State Obligations:

  • Attend all PA State Fair Queen Program sanctioned events including, but not limited to: Cornucopia (Harrisburg), PA Travel Council Tourism Day (Harrisburg), Ag Progress Days (Rock Springs, PA), Farm-City Day (Harrisburg), the Pennsylvania Farm Show (Harrisburg), and the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs’ convention (Hershey).
  • Attend fairs in all four (4) zones of the PA State Association of County Fairs (PSACF), when invited. (Fair Season: May – Oct.)
  • Attend other events/obligations that may arise on behalf of the PSACF.
  • Keep an Event Summary log (Event name and location, purpose/target audience, number of attendees, and contact person).
  • Make a scrapbook and create a display for the 2011 PSACF Convention showing how she promoted fairs and agriculture during her reign.
  • Attend and participate in the 2011 State Fair Queen competition and crown the 2012 State Fair Queen.
  • Show proof of scholarship eligibility by presenting a current tuition bill or grade report from her college/university.
  • Was exclusively the PA State Fair Queen for her entire reign and did not participate in any other pageants nor hold a title for any other commodity group during that time.

If selected as the new PA State Fair Queen, the Queen will receive a $2,000 First Place Scholarship

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