By Jimmy Potts,
Record Managing Editor
Aspiring makeup artist Ellie Stapleton was named the 2016 Warren County Fair Queen during Tuesday’s Fair queen coronation ceremony.Check out the photo gallery from Tuesday here: http://bit.ly/29cvP6IStapleton succeeds 2015 Fair Queen Karrie Rosemann and begins a year of Fair-related activities that will culminate with an appearance in the 2017 Missouri Fair Queen Contest.“I could not believe it,” Stapleton said. “I was so excited, especially being around all of my friends. This is a great group of girls.”Stapleton, the daughter of Pete and Anita Stapleton, is a recent graduate of Warrenton High School. She will receive a $1,000 scholarship and apply it to her student expenses while attending the Skin Institute this fall, where she will major in medical esthetics.For the talent/speech portion of the event, she gave a demonstration on applying makeup to highlight and contour the face. Her goal is to one day own a spa in Warrenton.Stapleton said she feels it’s her carefree spirit that set herself apart in the competition.“Having fun, letting loose and being myself, it definitely helped that I was around my friends,” she said, adding that almost all of the contestants were 2016 Warrenton High School graduates.“It made me more comfortable. We were an extremely close-knit group,” she said. “Only one girl (Abigail Yankey) was a year younger than us and she fit in great. We loved everybody. It was a great experience.”During the question-and-answer segment, Stapleton said she would improve the 2017 Warren County Fair by encouraging more girls to participate in the queen contest.Along with winning Fair queen, Stapleton won the talent/speech portion of the contest.The CourtKylie Prior was named first runner-up after winning two segments, top evening gown and Miss Congeniality, which she attributed to her naturally sunny appearance and outlook.“I’m always smiling, that’s for sure,” she said. “That’s what set me apart.”Prior is the daughter of James and Michelle Prior. As first runner up, she will receive a $500 scholarship, which she plans to apply to student expenses while attending the University of Missouri-Columbia this fall. She will major in nursing.Although she fell short of Fair queen, Prior will play a vital role as an alternate and also have a place in the Fair court.“I have a big role to play too,” she said. “I am excited to get to do more stuff for the Fair and be with the court.”Anna Sutherland was named second runner-up after winning the best interview segment.Sutherland is the daughter of Michael and Tina Sutherland.She will apply her $250 scholarship to student expenses while also attending the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she too will major in nursing.Erica Rugh won the top fundraiser and sold the most Fair passes.Meanwhile, Rosemann, the 2015 Fair queen, will compete in the Missouri State Fair Queen Contest in August.During her final address as Warren County Fair queen, Rosemann thanked everyone for making her childhood dream come true.“I would like to thank everyone for making this possible. It was a wonderful honor and every little girl’s dream.” Previous story: Ellie Stapleton was crowned as the 2016 Warren County Fair queen Tuesday night. Stapleton is a recent Warrenton High School graduate. She was sponsored by Marschel Wrecking. She will receive a $1,000 college scholarship. Kylie Prior, who was sponsored by Ron and Jan’s Catering, was named the first runner-up. The eight contestants voted Kylie Prior as Miss Congeniality. Anna Sutherland was second runner-up. She was sponsored by Gastorf Chevrolet.
The Fair continues through Saturday, July 2.For more on the queen pageant, see this week's edition of The Record.Kylie Prior, first runner-up and Miss Congeniality; Ellie Stapleton, 2016 Warren County Fair Queen; Anna Sutherland, second runner-up. Jana Todd photo.
