Her example certainly caught the attention of the judges. Abel was crowned by 2007 Queen Samantha Vierdag during a coronation ceremony held Saturday night at Diekroeger Park. "It's an honor," the Wright City senior said. "It doesn't feel real right now. "It means a lot to me. It's where I've grown up." Seven queen contestants contended for the crown. The interview and evening gown portions of the contest were held on Sept. 13. Wright City senior Blaze Goodwin Vermillion was named first runner-up. She was sponsored by FMB Bank in Wright City. Vermillion said she was shocked to hear her name called. "I figured I would go out with a bang from high school," Vermillion said. "It was fun, stressful at times, but really fun. I am very glad I did this." Brittany Abercrombie, a freshman at Wright City, was selected as second runner-up. She also was recognized for top evening gown. River City/Cobb Trucking was her sponsor. Miss Congeniality was voted on by the queen contestants and went to Samantha Dunakey, who was sponsored by Telkamp Construction. "I am really happy people appreciated me being who I am," Dunakey said. "It's fun getting to know all the girls. I just tried to be as nice as I could be and tried to be myself." Abel stood out from the other contestants for her salesman-like pitch. She sold a whopping 1,730 tickets, the most of any queen contestant, aided by her family, sponsor and schoolmates. "At first, it seemed so overwhelming," she admitted. "I was like, 'How am I ever going to see these tickets.' I didn't know how I was going to do it, (but) I just kept on trying." Abel also won for top interview. Once her high school days are completed, Abel plans on attending the University of Missouri-Columbia and majoring in animal science. She wants to become a veterinarian someday. Pam Beckham, Strassenbash chairman, said the pleasant weather couldn't have been better for the two-day festival. This year's theme was "Flashback to the '70s." Over 100 babies were entered in Saturday's baby contest sponsored by Liberty Christian Academy. Large crowds also were on hand during the karaoke contest held Friday night and Saturday morning for the parade and later that evening when the Arbogast band took the stage. "I prayed hard for this weather," Beckham said. "The crowd was great. The crowd was having fun. The kids were having a blast. The music was great. There was all kinds of variety of food."

Abel Named Strassenbash Queen

Abel Named Strassenbash Queen