Submitted to Mason County Extra Edition

CHARLESTON — Four royal titleholders from Mason County will be attending this year’s West Virginia Association of Fairs and Festivals (WVAFF) Pageant, starting tonight, and continuing through Saturday, at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.

The Mason County Fair is the only fair or festival held within Mason County eligible to send a festival queen to this year’s WVAFF event, though three other festivals from across the state will also be represented by titleholders who are from Mason County.

Addyson Stein, daughter of R.F. and Aimee Stein, is the 2023 Mason County Fair Queen and will be representing the fair at WVAFF Pageant events, starting tonight.

Fellow royal titleholders also taking the stage from Mason County are:

Ally Harper, daughter of Kevin and Vanessa Harper, representing the West Virginia Pumpkin Festival.

Lillian Bowles, daughter of Jr. and Kristin Bowles, representing the Festival of Dreams.

Delaney Roberts, daughter of Shad and Shana Roberts, representing the Lincoln County Hillbilly Days Festival.

These four contestants, all from Mason County, will be competing against 83 other representatives from various fairs and festivals in West Virginia.

The pageant consists of three areas of competition, including Event Promotion, Personal Interview and Evening Gown. Saturday evening will culminate in the crowning of the 2024 West Virginia Fairs and Festivals Queen who will reign over the West Virginia State Fair in Lewisburg.

Starting today (Thursday), contestants will arrive in Charleston and attend a meet and greet along with an orientation to learn their pageant group. Tonight will also feature the first practice for contestants.

Then, on Friday, Jan. 12, it’s the Event Promotion Competition. This is the first phase of competition and will be conducted that afternoon. During this competition contestants are judged on natural beauty, poise, and presentation. Contestants will also be judged by giving a 30-second timed presentation about their event.

On Saturday, Jan. 13, the Judges Interviews take place. This is the second phase of competition. Each contestant will be interviewed by a panel of judges. At this time, the judges will consider poise, personality, and natural beauty.

Saturday also includes the Evening Gown Competition. This is the third phase of competition. Judging is based on poise, personality, and natural beauty.

Following these areas of competition, 15 semi-finalists are announced. From the tabulations of the three competitions (Event Promotion, Interview, and Evening Gown) these 15 semi-finalists will be chosen and interviewed from their fact sheets.

Tickets may be purchased at the registration area Friday and Saturday. For Friday only, tickets are $45 and include Trade Show, Opening Ceremonies, Pageant Event Promotions. Tickets for Saturday night only, are $25 and are separate seating from full weekend.