Three competing for fair queen
WAYNESBURG – Three young women will compete for the title of Miss Greene County Fair 2015 this weekend.
The new queen will be selected during the queen contest at 4 p.m. Sunday at the fairgrounds. She will reign over this year’s fair and serve as the fair’s ambassador at all special events.
The fair queen also will represent the Greene County Fair in the Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Pageant during the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs in Hershey this January.
The new queen will be selected based on a personal interview, a brief speech on “Why You Should Come to the Greene County Fair,” a written essay about the fair and an evening gown competition.
The three contestants are Brittany Bonnema, Lindsey Renee Gilbert and Lesley Tift.
Bonnema, 16, of West Finley, is a daughter of Jason Bonnema and Jamie Keller.
She attends West Greene Middle-Senior High School where she serves as class treasurer and secretary of Future Farmers of America.
Bonnema received the greenhand degree, chapter degree and the interview award from FFA. She lettered in softball for two years and was a member of the all-county softball team.
Bonnema is active in the FFA and 4-H and participates in Envirothon, science club and the American Legion Post 416 women’s auxiliary. She plans to be a nurse and work in oncology.
Bonnema said she would like to be fair queen because she believes she can be a good influence on children and help others better themselves.
Gilbert, 16, of Waynesburg, is a daughter of James and Heather Gilbert.
She is a student at Waynesburg Central High School. She also attends California University of Pennsylvania under the early admissions program and has a 3.75 grade-point average. She received honors awards in English and American history.
Gilbert also won the American Netherland Dwarf rabbit club duchess award in 2012 and 2013 and the queen award in 2014. She took first place in FFA public speaking.
She is a member of FFA, student council, Alpha, Beta and 4-H and is involved in clubs for rabbits, sheep breeding, goats and market lambs. She held office in 4-H and FFA and is a licensed registrar with the American Rabbit Breeders Association. She hopes to become an attorney.
Gilbert said she dreamed of being fair queen since she first attended her first competition in 2008 and one of her 4-H mentors was the fair queen.
Tift, 19, of Rices Landing, is a daughter of Wes and Justine Tift.
She is a 2014 graduate of Jefferson-Morgan High School and attends Slippery Rock University.
Tift participates in the university’s marching band. She was the 2013 Jefferson-Morgan coal queen representative and was on the honor roll for four years.
She also participated in the Jefferson-Morgan marching band, student council, choir and musical theater. She enjoys the outdoors and being with friends. Tift plans to pursue a degree in nursing.
Tift said she wants to be the fair queen because she believes she would be a good representative of the fair and a good role model.