The first day of the Monroe County Fair concluded as it always does, with a crowd gathering at the main arena to see a pair of young ladies crowned as the new Monroe County Fair Queen and Little Miss.

With plenty of anticipation, the evening concluded with this year’s trio of judges ultimately bestowing the crowns to Queen Riley McDermott and Little Miss Vivian Hewitt.

The event ran smoothly, with scant few audio hiccups and weather that began with plenty of fair week heat but graciously cooled down as the sun fell.

The Little Miss Pageant got the evening rolling, with a particularly small group of six girls taking the stage in their dresses.

Little Miss contestants included Kelsey Schmidt, Taelyn Killian, Hewitt, Charlotte Klein, Sophia Nilges and Brooklyn Kubelka.

With 2024 Monroe County Fair Queen Haley Bode and her Little Miss Ava Helms guiding the pageant, the contestants showed plenty of poise as they answered questions about themselves and shared fun facts about the fair, with several speaking about some familial connections to the annual tradition.

Hewitt, who is the daughter of Ashley and Shawn and lives in Waterloo, spoke about dancing with her friends and doing hip hop.

The 8-year-old further spoke about her love of competing with the Piranhas swim team and building LEGO with her sister.

Hewitt was also among those who spoke about their own family when sharing their fair-fact, saying her 94-year-old great-grandmother has been attending the fair and entering her flowers every year since the fair’s inception in 1948.

After a brief break once Hewitt received her crown, the pageant festivities continued with fair queen contestants showing off their business attire.

The five young women taking the stage included Anna Washausen, Erin Halleran, Emma Carter, Olivia Stechmesser and McDermott.

Each queen contestant also distinguished themselves with their presentations, Washausen focusing on her stature as she emphasized how “good things come in small packages.”

“I may not be tall, but with heels, heart and a whole lot of sass, I’m basically 6-foot-5 in spirit, and twice as fabulous,” Washausen said.

Halleran spoke about her dad’s advice of, “Do not let go,” when she began presenting sheep at the fair and how those words have taken on new meaning as she’s grown.

“As the years went on, I realized he was teaching me something much bigger,” Halleran said. “I’ve learned to hold on tight not just to the rope, but to what matters: my values, my faith, my self-worth and to the people that remind me of who I am when life gets tough.”

“Progressive agriculturalist” were the words Carter honed in on, discussing how the title has pushed her in her pursuit of an ag career.

“I found comfort in those words guiding me forward,” Carter said. “A progressive agriculturalist is someone who is pushing the boundaries of modern agriculture, always pursuing ways to improve this age-old profession.”

Stechmesser likewise emphasized agriculture, describing how it’s all around us even as children given nursery rhymes and tales about Little Bo Peep and Old MacDonald’s Farm.

“These nursery rhymes weren’t just bedtime tales,” Stechmesser said. “They were early lessons in agriculture. It isn’t just something we learn about. It’s something we live. Agriculture is the food on our tables and the clothes on our backs.”

McDermott, the daughter of Tim and Mindy of Red Bud, discussed her passion for gardening, alluding to her own business Tilled to Table.

“My roots in agriculture began in the barn on my family’s farm, a place where six generations raised animals and passed down life lessons,” McDermott said. “While I didn’t follow those animal traditions, I found my passion growing in the garden just beyond that barn’s shadow.”

After a strut on stage in their swimsuits, the contestants took the stage in an array of evening gowns to answer some questions.

Washausen wore a classic off-the-shoulder, fitted mermaid gown covered in shimmering blue and black metallic accent, and Halleran showed off a one-shoulder hot pink gown with asymmetrical draped fabric neckline and rhinestone accents that flowed into a short shoulder cape.

Carter took to the stage with a teal, off-the-shoulder velvet gown adorned with intricate beading and embellishments across the bodice, and Stechmesser had an emerald satin gown with a structured sweetheart neckline, pleated bodice, a touch of rhinestoned detail at the top and a waist cape.

At the right end of the stage was McDermott with her royal blue velvet gown featuring a column shape with a rhinestone and gemwork V neckline.

With a range of questions, the contestants spoke about the pageant experience, family and the struggle of farmers and small businesses, among other topic.

One especially charming moment came as Carter received the question, “What were you hoping to get asked about but didn’t?” as her first question, much to the amusement of the crowd.

With her questions, McDermott discussed the value of patience in gardening and life, the meaning of “empowerment” and her own experience of dealing with rising fertilizer and seed prices alongside family farmers in the county.

The 18-year-old graduate of Waterloo High School is set to attend the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign for a degree in crop sciences with a focus in horticulture as well as a minor in agriculture.

McDermott boasts plenty of local ag involvement beyond her business with experience in FFA and 4-H. She’s been awarded her FFA State Degree and has also been named the National FFA Vegetable Production Proficiency Winner and State FFA Agricultural Processing Proficiency Winner.

She was also Waterloo FFA Chapter President, Section 22 FFA Secretary and a member of National Honor Society and the WHS Renaissance Club.

McDermott continued to emphasize her green thumb as she answered the final question about advocating for agriculture and the Monroe County Fair in her everyday life, again invoking her work through Tilled to Table.

“Every Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market, I get to set up a stand for my business Tilled to Table, and I already advocate for agriculture by sharing my knowledge and my story to my customers,” McDermott said.

Prior to McDermott taking the crown, retiring fair queen Bode enjoyed her final stroll around stage, discussing her time with the pageant and fair as a whole as well as her passion for agriculture.

She spoke about the seeds she’s been able to plant, seeds of generosity, curiousity, confidence and purpose.

Bode also called back to the “Monroe County Express,” a major part of her attention-grabbing speech at last year’s pageant.

“Thank you, Monroe County, for letting me be a Monroe County gal,” Bode said. “And thank you for fulfilling a part of my purpose. So, while the Monroe County Express may be reaching its final destination, I’m at peace knowing every single stop along the way was intentional. May we all continue to grow with purpose.”

With plenty of cheers and a horde of family and other supporters taking to the stage afterward, McDermott was ultimately crowned queen to serve for the next year alongside Hewitt.

Additional awards went to Carter as Second Runner-Up, Halleran as First Runner-Up and Washausen as Miss Congeniality.

Speaking toward the end of her first day of fair festivities Monday evening, McDermott spoke about how much of a shock it was to hear her name and how honored she was to receive the crown even as she had some strong competition.

“Getting to know all the contestants and spending most of the summer with them, I know the judges didn’t have an easy night last night,” McDermott said. “I could see any of those girls easily filling that position, so it really is an honor to have this title and be able to share my goals with the community.”

She further emphasized how nice it was to be able to spend so much time with her fellow contestants over the past few weeks.

Little Miss Hewitt also noted how delighted she was to hear her name on stage.

“It was really exciting!” Hewitt said. “I couldn’t believe it, and I just didn’t believe it at all.”

McDermott’s father offered plenty of praise for her, her performance and how she’s growing into a “successful young lady.”

“We’re both proud of Riley, first for making the decision to do the pageant and to enter and to go through that process, to try something a little bit different and stretch her comfort zone,” Tim said. “Super proud of her being named the county fair queen, and watching her so far at the fair interact with the exhibitors and the fair board members and the visitors at the fair, it’s been fun to watch as a parent.”

Hewitt’s mother likewise spoke highly of her daughter’s efforts, also acknowledging how well each of the other girls performed.

“It was just so exciting to watch her in shock as she was crowned,” Ashley said. “Kind of like what Riley said, any of those little girls could have won. They all did a fantastic job speaking… I was just incredibly proud of her to want to do something like this and put herself out there.”

With the first few days of the fair already having rushed by, McDermott and Hewitt both spoke about their anticipation for the rest of the week and the year ahead.

Hewitt said she’s looking forward to hanging out with McDermott and giving out ribbons to her friends, and McDermott voiced her hopes to continue spreading her passion for agriculture and the fair.

“I’m hoping to get to talk to as many people as possible during Fair Week and even beyond that,” McDermott said. “I’ve kind of gone into this with the mindset that I want to get as many people involved and informed about Monroe County and agriculture in our community in general. As far as being with Little Miss Vivian, she’s been such a sweetheart, and I couldn’t have been more blessed with the Little Miss that I’ve been given.”