Winnebago County Fair Pageant ends swimsuit competition

This Aug. 16-20 Winnebago County Fair enters into its 102nd year offering family fun while showcasing Winnebago County’s agricultural past, present, and future.

The annual county fair runs deep with tradition, including the county fair queen pageant where tens of young ladies compete for the privilege of wearing the county fair queen crown.

As queen, the winner receives scholarship funding, various prizes, and the opportunity to represent the fair for the next year. Fair queen candidates compete in three age divisions, including Miss (ages 16-21), Junior Miss (ages 10-13), and Little Miss (ages 5-9.)

While each division has its own rules and requirements governing candidate eligibility and contest rules, the fair’s Miss division has traditionally included an on-stage swimwear appearance in keeping with the tradition of the Illinois County Fair Queen organization.

The 2023 county fair pageant, however, will bid farewell to swimwear. While the purpose of the swimsuit competition has evolved, the history of the pageant industry’s swimsuit competition is rooted in for-profit spectacle.

For this reason, among others, many pageant systems are moving away from the swimwear tradition in favor of other means of assessing confidence, composure, and wellness.

“We believe we can effectively highlight candidate poise and posture in other ways. I also recognize this portion of the pageant may deter high-potential candidates from entering the competition for a variety of personal reasons. It is my hope that with this change, more young women will give the pageant a try and benefit from the personal growth and reward of participating,” said pageant director Kim Mathieu.

The public is encouraged to attend the fair to cheer on contestants. The pageants are held on fairgrounds at Moss Hall as follows. Miss and Junior Miss contest – Wednesday, Aug. 16, at 6 p.m. Little Miss contest – Thursday, Aug. 17, at 6 p.m. Contact pageant director Kim Mathieu at 815-275-7364 or [email protected] to inform her of your intent to apply.

Miss and Junior Miss division applications are accepted until June 20. Little Miss applications are accepted until July 26.

For more specific information on the pageant, including eligibility, rehearsal schedules, applications, and rules, visit www.winnebagocountyfair.com/fair/pageants