On May 5, Mallory Link was crowned the new 2019 El Paso County fair queen; she will serve a one-year term to help spread the word about the fair.Link said from age 6 on she wanted to become the fair queen.ìI would go and watch all of these girls at the contests and fairs,î she said. ìThey promoted agriculture, they promoted the fair, they promoted the western way of life and that has always been something that is very important to me.îLink said she participated in 4-H in Elbert County, where her dad lives; however, as a resident of El Paso County, she was eligible for the fair queen program. To be considered for the title, she had to submit an application, which included giving a speech about why she would make a good queen. Additionally, Link had to participate in a horsemanship pattern, which is a prescribed pattern she and her horse had to execute together, she said.As the fair queen, Link said she will spend the summer working with various service clubs around the county to help promote the fair. She said connecting with people will help with her future endeavors as well, since she is in her sophomore year at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming, majoring in business marketing.ìI am not sure yet what I want to do, but I know I want to work with the agricultural industry and promote how important that is to the world,î Link said. ìIt is more important to educate people than to do cleanup when a bad move is made.îAccording to the county fairís website, fair queens receive numerous benefits: multiple scholarship opportunities; a $1,000 budget for clothing and travel related to the fair queen position; a buckle, sash and seasonal use of the queenís chaps, tiara and serape for parades; acting as hostess for the Queenís Luncheon at the fair; and other resume-building experiences.Link said she feels honored to be chosen as the EPC fair queen, especially after finding autographed sheets from previous fair queens and remembering that they were her role models.ìI want to be that same thing for the younger kids,î she said. ìI want them to think that they would like to follow in my footsteps.îThe 2019 EPC Fair is July 13-20; Link said she will be on hand for many of the events. For more information about the fair, visit http://elpasocountyfair.com.
