Crowd sees double at McHenry County Fair lookalike contest

While out and about in their native Woodstock, Ingrida Spokas and daughter Diana often get double takes.

The tall, willowy pair are also used to being mistaken for sisters.

But there was no mistake Thursday night when they won McHenry County Fair's inaugural mother/daughter lookalike contest, in which they competed against 18 other duos for $25.

Diana Spokas, 12, is the quieter one of the two and said she entered the contest at the urging of her aunt. She also wanted to conquer her stage fright because she hopes to work part-time as a model.

The contest attracted a standing-room-only crowd of more than 30 people who cheered and took photographs of their favorites.

Between judging, Whitney Houston's “I'm Every Woman,” Shania Twain's “Man, I Feel like a Woman” and Roy Orbison's “Pretty Woman” filled the silence.

As an added bonus, Jordyn Butler, recently crowned Miss McHenry County, opened the contest before moving onto her other duties at the fair.

“You all look beautiful and you're going to do a great job,” Butler said.

A panel of three judges cut the number down to six pairs and finally named their top three picks. Although many contestants wore identical outfits, the judges weren't even looking at their clothes.

They were more concerned with contestants' bone structure, noses and cheekbones.

In that way, the contest came close to rivaling a beauty competition, said Amy Rosenthal, one of the fair's directors.

“It was just as hard picking the queen,” the Algonquin resident said, adding that she recently sat on the panel that chose the queen at the Lake County Fair.

There was no debate among the judges when it came to picking Ingrida and Diana as the clear winners.

The contest was a way for both mother and daughter to form a closer bond — the Spokas' other favorite activities include shopping, baking and decorating cakes.

Beyond that, the elder Spokas hopes the contest win pulls her daughter out of her shell.

“She's too shy and I'm always pushing her,” Ingrida said.

Other events Thursday night included a 21-tractor salute to veterans, line dancing and antique tractor pulls.

The fair runs now through Sunday in Woodstock. For more information, visit mchenrycountyfair.com or call (815) 338-5315.