A big advocate for agriculture and the beef industry came out on top at the Montgomery County Fair Queen contest on Monday.

Rhineland resident Macy Bader was named fair queen at the 90-minute event that was held at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, marking the opening of the 77th annual fair that will run until Saturday.

Allison Boedges was named first runner-up and Bellflower resident Shea Stille came in second runner-up. The other queen candidates were Beth Bextermiller, Claire Cobb and Hannah Davis.

Cobb, who lives in High Hill, earned three awards – Miss Congeniality, Top Season Pass Seller and People’s Choice Award. Davis, who lives in Bellflower, picked up awards for Top Speech or Talent and Top Evening Gown.

Besides being crowned fair queen, Bader also earned an award for top interview.

Bader graduated from Hermann High School in May. She served as sentinel of the school’s FFA chapter and treasurer of the Missouri FFA Area 14 chapter. She played basketball and volleyball at Hermann. 

Bader is also the president of the Montgomery County Junior Fair Board, which was established in 2022. She plans to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia this fall and major in plant science with an emphasis in crop management.

At the queen contest, Bader made a nearly four-minute presentation on the importance of agriculture and the beef industry. She was one of six people in the state who were selected for the Missouri Beef Kids Academy.

“It’s been an honor to serve as a Missouri Beef Kid,” Bader said. “I am able to share my passion about the agriculture industry and advocate for those in need. This past year, I was able to reach over 20,000 kids and continue to educate more this year at the state fair.”

Also on Monday, Paul Eckler and Stella Ridgley were selected as winners of the Little Mr. and Miss, respectively. The other contestants were Charlie Hans, Willow Hamilton, Sophia Swygard, Kaylee Pritchett, Lexi Gains, Owen Viola and Tanner Craven. 

Editor’s note: A print version will be published in the July 24 edition of the Montgomery Standard.