New Miss Lake County Fair Queen continues family legacy

Miss Lake County Fair Queen Bethani Jacobsen stands tall and regal Thursday afternoon, holding ribbons for winning 4-H competitors in a barn filled with goats.

The contrast is more than slightly amusing.

As the 2015 queen, Jacobsen's job is to be the hostess of the fair in a county with a rich agricultural heritage. But it was family, not farming, that drew Jacobsen to the pageant.

The women in Jacobsen's life, her mom and sister, were the reason she decided to compete for fair queen. Jacobsen's mom was Queen of Lake County for a year in the 1980s, and her older sister won the 2011 pageant. They have been her mentors throughout the process, which has served as a bonding experience.

"My mom had no words when she found out," Jacobsen said of being crowned Wednesday. "She started bawling on stage. I couldn't have done this without my sister and my mom."

Jacobsen, 20, has competed for Queen Miss for the past four years. Each year, the pageant assesses contestants on a personal interview, communication skills, physical fitness and beauty of the face, and stage presence. The judges try to choose a queen who will best represent Lake County by communicating effectively.

This year, she received coaching from her sister and fashion advice from her mom. Her knowledge of Illinois agriculture, central to the fair, expanded significantly as she completed her journey to queen.

Growing up in Fox Lake, and now living in Wauconda, Jacobsen had milked a cow once as a 5-year-old. On Thursday, she interacted with animals and prepared to milk a cow for the second time in her life.

"I held a chicken today," Jacobsen said. "I was a little scared when it started flapping, because I was worried it was going to run away. I'm excited to milk a cow."

Now that Jacobsen is crowned, she'll serve as Miss Lake County Fair Queen for one year. This weekend, she will be at the fair each day with the Junior Miss and Little Miss Pageant winners, who were crowned Thursday night. They will help with various competitions and interact with fairgoers.

When she is not completing her regal duties, Jacobsen studies mortuary science at Upper Iowa State University.

"I'm the only person in my major at school," she said. "As a funeral director, I will be in charge of the embalming, make up and hair processes, and also in planning funerals."

In the coming year, Jacobsen will represent Lake County at several local parades, and she'll compete in the Illinois State Pageant in January in Springfield.

"It's all about (the agricultural) tradition," she said. "Wherever I am needed, I will help carry on that tradition."