Fair Pageant Crowns Two Miss Loudouns

One will go on on to represent Loudoun in a statewide pageant next year

By Rachael Dickson (Contact)

Monday, July 28, 2008

The Miss Loudoun County Fair Pageant kicked off this week's county fair by crowning Lovettsville's Ashley Niergarth Miss Loudoun County Fair 2008. The event was held in a show barn that will host livestock contests the rest of the week and featured three contestants competing in three categories -- street attire, evening gown and interview. The girls were mainly known for their involvement in 4-H.

Niergarth, Morgan Hill of Hamilton, and Allison Hinke of Leesburg, lifted the hems of their dresses and walked gingerly across the sawdust-covered stage in front of a small crowd of mostly family and friends on Sunday evening. Each contestant answered three questions from the judges about the fair, their lives and their future goals.

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Miss Loudoun County Fair Pageant

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Little Miss Loudoun County 2008 Camryn Monroe, Miss Loudoun County 2008 Ashley Niergarth, and contestants Morgan Hill and Allison Hinke pose for a picture. (Rachael Dickson)

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Miss Loudoun County Fair 2007 Carly Griffith and emcee Tricia Corle crown Camryn Monroe as Little Miss Loudoun County Fair 2008. (Rachael Dickson)

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Pageant winner Ashley Niergarth waits to answer a question from the judges while contestants Allison Hinke and Morgan Hill watch. (Rachael Dickson)

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Lovettsville resident Ashley Niergarth is crowned Miss Loudoun County Fair on Sunday. (Rachael Dickson)

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Little Miss Loudoun County Fair 2008 Camryn Monroe. (Rachael Dickson)

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Miss Loudoun County Fair 2008 Ashley Niergarth laughs as she attempts to walk across the barn's wood chip covered floor in heels. (Rachael Dickson)

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Niergarth cited overpopulation in response to a question about the issues that she felt were facing Loudoun County, and talked about her personal experience watching Loudoun grow from a rural area to one filled with buildings.

Upcoming Round Valley High School senior Hill, said her favorite part of the Loudoun County Fair "is how the community comes together and has fun and we all get to see our strengths, like with the animals."

Hill is active in the 4-H poultry club and volunteers with a church summer program. She is currently employed with Footloose Dance Studio and would like to open her own Irish dance studio.

Hinke -- who was the pageant's runner-up -- will be a senior at Loudoun County High School, and cited her Aunt Ann Mercer as a role model in her life. Mercer founded the Gingersnap Girls Foundation, which assists abused, neglected, and homeless horses that might otherwise be sold for meat.

"She just shows me how important animals are," said Hinke, "and how important working together for a common cause is."

Hinke is the 4-H poultry club president and works at Ida Lee Park as a swim instructor.

Pageant winner Niergarth is active with the Purcellville volunteer fire department and the 4-H swine club. When she begins school at Shepherd University this fall she will be working towards becoming an FBI agent.

"I think I would be a great representative of the Loudoun County Fair, because I will be a great role model and very responsible," Niergarth said during the interview portion of the pageant. "Loudoun County has so many great characteristics [and] traits -- and I feel that as Miss Loudoun County Fair I will be able to express those positive traits that it does have -- with my good attitude and my personality."

Another crown was handed out at the fair yesterday to 6-year-old Camryn Monroe, who is this year's Little Miss Loudoun County Fair.

"Camryn lives here at the fairgrounds," her mother, Kimberley Monroe said. "My husband and I are the caretakers here. The fair comes to her house every year."

Tricia Corle, who helped coordinate and served as emcee for the pageant, said that Miss Loudoun County Fair will be present and visible at other events throughout the week. Some of these duties include presenting ribbons to winners of various competitions and giving the introduction to the Kiss a Pig Contest.

As Miss Loudoun County Fair 2008, Niergarth will receive a scholarship and will represent Loudoun in the Virginia Association of Fairs Pageant, which will be held in January 2009.

Tagged: loudoun county fair, Miss Loudoun County pageant

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