The 2024 Cedar County Fair

Royalty Contest

Royalty Contests open Monday, April 1 at 9:00 am.

Royalty Crowning is Wednesday, July 10 at 5 pm in the Custom Builder’s Pavilion. 

Pictured is your 2023 Cedar County Fair Queen, Molly Chapman, Fair Princess, Sidney Miller, and Little Miss, Viveca VanHeel.

Meet the 2024 Queen Contestants

Click on each contestant to learn more! Come cheer on all of our Queen, Princess, and Little Miss Contestants on Wednesday, July 10 at 5pm on the Family Foods Stage in the Custom Builders Pavilion.

Emma Axline

Read Her Bio

Kennedy Crist

Read Her Bio

Karli Langley

Read Her Bio

Savannah Meinert

Read Her Bio

2024 Princess Contestants

2024 Little Miss Contestants

Aubrie-Pruess-Queen-scaled

Graduate

Aubrie Pruess

Aubrie Pruess is the daughter of Jeff and Carrie Pruess of Clarence and is sponsored by Pruess Farm Repair. Aubrie is going to be a freshman at Warburg College this coming fall. Aubrie has been involved in volleyball, basketball, track and field. She also has participated in many fine arts including, band, jazz band, choir, chamber choir, and even played in the musical pit for the spring musical at North Cedar High School. She has also been a member of National Honor Society since her sophomore year of high school and served on her student council. Outside of school Abrie has been involved in the Harmony Hustlers 4-H Club, holding many offices, and competing in different project classes here at the Cedar County Fair. Aubrie also spends a lot of her time volunteering at various events including Vacation Bible School at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowden, Clarence Fireman’s Breakfast, Clarence Soup Supper, raking leaves with her Lutheran Youth Fellowship Group, and even Christmas caroling. Aubrie has taken on leadership roles with a lot of her activities and has even planned and taught her own vacation bible school lessons to younger kids. Aubrie admits that outside of all these activities, she doesn’t have a lot of free time but what free time she can find is usually spent helping her dad on the farm bailing, bedding cattle, processing calves, weed eating, covering the bunker, and whatever else needs done. When all her farm work is done though, she does enjoy reading and playing with her two dogs, a Rat Terrier named Pancho and a Great Pyrenees Anatolian Shepherd mix named Bear. Three words that Aubrie would use to describe herself are friendly, hardworking, and polite. This fall Aubrie will attend Wartburg college where she will continue to play volleyball while majoring in elementary education. In the future, Aubrie would like to teach and coach high school sports in Cedar County.

Aubrie-Pruess-Queen-scaled

Graduate

Lacey Rouse

Lacey Rouse is the daughter of Deb and Tyler Rouse of Mechanicsville and is sponsored by High Hopes Cattle Company. Lacey is going to be a senior at North Cedar High School this coming fall. Lacey has been involved in FFA, volleyball, concert band, drama, and student council while in school. Lacey has taken on many leadership roles in her school activities, including competing in solo and large group band competitions, modeling positions for underclassman in volleyball, played in the musical pit band, and even performed on stage. Outside of school, Lacey tries her best to be involved in her community. Lacey has donated blood at local blood drives, helped keep highway ditches clean, plant flowers on main street, and servicing the food panty each week. Lacey is very involved in the cattle community at the county, state, and national levels. In 2020 Lacey was named the National Miniature Hereford Princess and is a member of the Miniature Hereford Foundation Youth Committee. With this involvement, Lacey finds herself often traveling the county to support a variety of cattle organizations by helping run cattle shows, running scale and tattoo chutes at check-ins, and handing out prizes in the show ring. Lacey tries her best to be model for younger participants and provides a friendly face for anyone to ask questions. These activities don’t leave Lacey much free time but when she can find some in her schedule she enjoys reading, crocheting, hanging out with her friends, or traveling with her grandpa who is part of a dirt track pit crew. Lacey doesn’t mind a little hard work and dirt and finds it rewarding to help change tires or gears on a car that could help them get to victory lane. In the future, Aubrie would like to attend Iowa State University to major in Agriculture Education. Lacey would like to help students realize their love of agriculture and sees herself leading an FFA program and helping to impact the community in a positive way.

Royalty Contest Information

Deadline to Apply: May 1, 2024 5:00pm

Welcome to your first steps in participating in the 2024 Cedar County Fair Queen program. We are excited to meet you. Our goal for you is that you will meet and interact with other outstanding young ladies from Cedar County, learn about the inner workings of the fair, develop stronger leadership and public relations skills, and have a great time!

Any young woman between the ages of 16-21 who resides in Cedar County is eligible to apply and participate. These ladies need to be active in the community and positive role models. It is not limited to just those who are in FFA & 4H.

Please return the following application, quick facts sheet, and permission slips to Queen Coordinator, Molly Haub or Jenny Jackson at PO Box 324, Tipton, IA 52772 or email to thecedarcountyfair@gmail.com by May 1, 2024. The follow events will be available to contestants to participate in (starred events are required):

  • Contestant orientation & activity- June 4* 
  • Volunteering at fairground work nights
  • Interview Practice, Poise Workshop, & Brunch
  • Tipton 4th of July parade* 
  • Rehearsal & Fair Board Appreciation Dinner
  • Judging- July 10* 
  • Coronation- July 10 @ 5 pm* 
  • Cedar County Fair July 10-14*

A full schedule of events will be given at Orientation.

Throughout the entire competition judges will base their decision on personality, attitude, appearance, awareness, leadership, citizenship, charm, and poise. The competition consists of a group interview, one-on-one interview, and stage presence on Wednesday, July 10. Events prior to the fair will be noted in the judges’ binders, so your presence & participation is highly encouraged.

We are requesting that each Queen candidate have a sponsor. Any organization, church, business, or individual can sponsor a candidate. Each sponsor shall donate a minimum of $50 on the candidate’s behalf. This $50 will go towards prizes, activities & awards for the contestants. If you need assistance finding a sponsor, please contact Molly or Jenny.

If you have any questions with regards to the above information or the application, please feel free to contact Molly Haub or Jenny Jackson at thecedarcountyfair@gmail.com. We wish all the candidates the best of luck!

DEADLINE TO APPLY: MAY 1, 2024

  1. Each contestant must be female and at least 16 years of age and not more than 21 years of age on Aug 8, the first day of the 2024 Iowa State Fair.
  2. Contestants must never have been married.
  3. A county fair queen must reside in the county she represents or an adjoining county if the majority of her activities are in the county she represents. If a fair represents more than one county, the winning contestant must reside in one of the participating counties.
  4. contestant must be an active member of at least one service organization in her community such as a church group, Girl Scouts, 4-H, FFA, etc. (Eligibility is not limited to 4-H or FFA membership.)
  5. Each entrant in the State Fair Competition must be selected from a competitive queen contest at her county fair. If an Iowa fair does not have a contest, it may sanction another queen contest in their county as the “Official County Fair Queen Contest.”  The winner of this is then eligible to compete at the Iowa State Fair.  Only contests sponsored by county fairs that are members of the Association of Iowa Fairs will be eligible to compete at the state level.
  6. Only winners as indicated under Rule 5 are eligible to represent counties at the state pageant. In the event the county queen is unable to participate, alternates will be considered in order of selection.
  7. No professional model (one who has had ongoing employment in which modeling was the primary part of the job) is eligible to compete in the state competition.
  8. Any contestant who has competed at Iowa State Fair Queen level of the competition may not compete again.
  1. Any county fair queen selected after the 2023 Iowa State Fair and meeting the above qualifications is eligible for the 2024 competition.
  2. The Iowa State Fair will accept only one entry per county. Should there be more than one queen contest in the county, it will be the responsibility of the fairs concerned to hold an elimination contest.  The only exception to this rule will be in those counties where more than one fair qualifies for membership with the Association of Iowa Fairs.  In those cases, both fairs will be eligible to submit candidates for competition.
  3. It is the responsibility of each contestant to make arrangements for transportation to and from Des Moines.
  4. The county fair queens will be the guests of the Iowa State Fair Tuesday, August 6th, through the time of the crowning Saturday evening, August 10th, 2024.
  5. The Iowa State Fair will provide a sash and crown for each county fair to award their queen at the county fair. This must be worn when she appears at the Iowa State Fair and is included in the $450.00 entry fee requested with the enclosed entry blank. Entry fee for entries received after April 30 is $500.00.  Absolutely NO entries will be accepted after May 31!
  6. County fairs are requested to select their candidates by competition in which personality, leadership, and beauty are judged.
  7. A competent committee will select the “Iowa State Fair Queen”. Judging comments are not available to the contestants or county representatives.  Judging will be based on the following:

Personality, Attitude, Appearance and Awareness

Leadership and Citizenship – Contribution to Community

Overall Appearance, Charm, Poise

  1. Each contestant should be prepared to appear in a variety of dress such as street dress or suit, evening dress and casual wear.
  2. The winner of the state competition will be crowned “2024 Iowa State Fair Queen.” The 2024 Queen will be required to remain at the Fairgrounds for the remaining time of the 2024 Fair.
  3. The winner of the state competition must agree to appear for the Iowa State Fair Board in official capacities as requested throughout the year until her successor is crowned. This includes daily appearances at the 2024 Fair and the first three days at the 2025 Fair. The Iowa State Fair will help with food and transportation expenses for these appearances.
  4. If the winner cannot reign until a new queen is crowned at the 2025 Fair, she must forfeit her title and all awards associated with it to the first runner-up. She may then accept the title and awards of the first runner-up.
  5. The winning contestant at the Iowa State Fair must agree to accept no other queen titles nor endorse any commercial product as “Iowa State Fair Queen” for a period of 12 months following the 2024 Iowa State Fair without the written permission of the Iowa State Fair Board.
  6. The winning contestant will receive all the prizes at the time of the finals with the exception of the scholarships. The scholarships will be presented to her after the  5 Iowa State Fair Queen is selected.
  7. The reigning 2024 “Iowa State Fair Queen” is expected to conduct herself in a manner that reflects positively on herself, her family and on the Iowa State Fair.  Should the reigning “Iowa State Fair Queen” become involved in any activity, including a drug, alcohol or tobacco related offense that reflects negatively on herself, her family or the Iowa State Fair, she may be required to forfeit her crown, title and rights to the scholarship award to the first runner-up.
  8. Should the 2024 “Iowa State Fair Queen” marry or become ineligible before the 2025 queen is crowned, she will forfeit her title, crown and rights to the scholarship award to the first runner-up. Should the first runner-up marry or become ineligible, she will forfeit title, crown and rights to the scholarship to the second runner-up. 
  9. The Iowa State Fair Board reserves the right to change and interpret the foregoing rules and regulations at any time as may be deemed expedient.

Princess Contest Information

The Cedar Country Queen Committee and Fair Board would like to thank you for taking this opportunity to apply for the 2024 Cedar County Fair Princess Contest. We are very excited about the upcoming fair and want to make this a memorable one.

Little Miss Contest Information

The Cedar Country Queen Committee and Fair Board would like to thank you for taking this opportunity to apply for the 2024 Little Miss Cedar County Contest. We are very excited about the upcoming fair and want to make this a memorable one.

Emma Axline

18, Lowden

Emma Axline is a recent graduate of Tipton High School. While in High School Emma was active on the Student Council, did a couple years of High School Choir, was involved in FFA, participated in the newly implemented Ag Farm which gave her hands-on grain farming experience and helped to run the Tiger Coffee House, a student led coffee shop in the High School. Emma really finds her passion in Dance though and was captain of the Tigerettes Dance Team at school and competed with Nicole Rock’s School of Dance for 11 years out of school. Other activities that Emma is involved in outside of school is 4-H, and even serves on the Youth County Council. Emma is the daughter of Darin and Janelle Axline. Emma enjoys showing and working her cattle, riding horses, and hanging out with friends and family. Emma plans to continue her education by enrolling in the Vet Tech Program at Muscatine Community College and is even taking some prerequisites this summer to prepare for the program.

Kennedy Crist

17, Tipton

Kennedy is a senior at Tipton High School. In school Kennedy is involved in Volleyball, Golf, FFA, and National Honor Society. Kennedy has been picked for the All State Elite Golf Team and has had multiple academic awards in Volleyball.  Outside of School Kennedy is very involved in 4-H and serves on the Youth County Council. Kennedy is the daughter of Josh and Kristi Crist. In her free time, Kennedy enjoys golfing or working on her livestock projects for the fair. Kennedy shows both cattle and swine. Kennedy also helps her dad by running a tractor or cleaning up the farm. After she graduates next year Kennedy would like to attend Iowa State majoring in Ag Business to hopefully one day become an Ag Accountant or Ag Loan Officer, along with running her own successful cow calf operation.

Karli Langley

19, Wilton

Karli is a student at St Ambrose University. Karli is on St Ambrose’s Dance Team, a member of their honors program, and made the Dean’s List. Prior to graduating high school, Karli was involved in football cheerleading, Stepperettes Dance Team, theater, National Honor Society, women’s choir, show choir, honor choir, Iowa Dance & Drill Team, Softball, Volleyball, Women’s Golf, and FFA. Outside of school Karli was very involved in 4-H and served on the Youth County Council. Outside of school Karli really finds a passion for volunteering and has been involved in many volunteer projects including making blankets and build-a-bears for residents of the Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City, mentoring other dance students, volunteering at nursing homes, and meals on wheels, just to name a few. Karli is the daughter of Melanie and Barry Langley. In her free time Karli enjoys teaching youth tumbling and dance, she likes to read fiction books, and learning about history. Karli obtained her CNA degree in 2022 while still in high school and is currently working on finishing her nursing degree, which she plans to do six months early. Karli then plans to get her master’s degree, and hopes to some day earn her Nurse Practitioner Degree. Her lifelong goal is to help people whether that is caring for them as a nurse or helping them learn to dance.

Savannah Meinert

18, Wilton

Savannah is a recent graduate of Durant High School. While in school Savannah has participated in basketball, softball, FFA, yearbook, student council, and National Honor Society. This past year she was President of the Wilton FFA and even earned her Iowa Degree in FFA. Outside of school Savannah is very active in her 4-H club, is on the Youth County Council, her church, and spends a lot of time volunteering. Savannah is the daughter of Sarah Zindel and Scott Meinert. In her free time Savannah likes to work with her livestock and spend time with her friends and family. Savannah plans to attend Iowa State University this fall majoring in Agriculture Communications. Savannah hopes to some day be a meaningful asset to an agricultural organization while also starting her own show cattle business.