Fair queen pageant is more than meets the eye

Hannah Smith, Miss McHenry County 2009, will end her reign Wednesday, Aug. 4, and the competition is on to fill her tiara.

The 61st annual McHenry County Fair Queen Pageant will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the grandstand and will feature 20 young women between 16 and 21 vying for the 2010 title. Between 400 and 500 spectators are expected and admission is free.

Judging takes place in swimsuit and formal attire, and each contestant gives a one-minute speech on stage. The contestants are awarded points for their interview, stage presence, beauty and communication skills, and according to pageant Chairwoman Linda Zielinski, the pageant is a great way for young women to learn to speak in public.

"We practice speaking and walking and makeup," said Zielinski, who has worked with the pageant since 1980. "They turn into a whole new person. Their personalities come out."

While the girls are competing to represent the county for the year and go on to the state fair competition, they also get a $2,000 college scholarship to go along with the crown and sash.

But second-year pageant participant Hailee Pecoraro, 19, of McHenry, said she gets more out of pageants than the glitz and the dollars. Pecoraro has been doing local pageants since she was 8, and she got involved with the queen pageant as a way to learn life skills for interviews, she said.

"Most of the public has the wrong look, that it's all based off beauty, and that's sending the wrong message," Pecoraro said. "But throughout my years of pageants, it's more about life learning experiences. I never would've been able to speak in front of a crowd if not for pageants."

Zielinski has been meeting with Pecoraro and the other queen hopefuls every week since June 16, and she looks forward to the reward of her mentoring.

"When many of the young women come in, they're shy and quiet," she said. "I love seeing them become outgoing women."