19-year-old Laura Carnegie grew up watching the Monroe County Fair Queen and Princess Pageant.
Carnegie and her two sisters would climb up all the way to the top of the stands in the Monroe County Fairground Auditorium and watch as women in sparkly dresses made their way to the stage.
She waited patiently for the day she could be one of those women, as pageant constants must be between 18 and 21 years old by the day of the pageant. However, her older sister, Bailey, was able to enter the contest in 2023.
That year, Bailey was crowned Monroe County Fair Queen. On June 28, two years later, Laura Carnegie won the 2025 Monroe County Fair Queen on the same stage as her older sister. Wearing a shimmering blue dress, she said the moment felt surreal.
“Something that really stuck with me was the moment I got crowned,” Carnegie said. “It was just so amazing and it is something I will always remember.”
Carnegie said it was meaningful to have an older sister that experienced the competition a few years prior. She loved being able to go to her with questions or ask for advice about the pageant and interview process.
As a part of the Monroe County Fair Queen and Princess Pageant, contestants were put through a series of five-minute interviews. Carnegie said she was asked questions about why she wanted to be Miss Monroe County and what type of things she would do as fair queen.
“I wanted to run because I love Monroe County and this community has given so much to me, I wanted the opportunity to give back,” Carnegie said.
Winning fair queen isn’t just about the trophy, sash and various other prizes. The responsibilities that come with being fair queen provide many opportunities to give back to the community.
Throughout the week, Carnegie will act as the hostess of the fair. She can be seen handing out awards at animals shows or attending other fair events. Others on royalty court, like 19-year-old Charlie Smith, also have similar duties.
Smith graduated out of the 4-H program last year after 10 years of participating but couldn’t quite leave the fair behind.
“All 10 years, I showed at least one animal or did art projects to try and promote agricultural and livestock stuff,” Smith said. “I wanted to still be a part of the 4-H community so I ran for court this year.”
Smith was named Monroe County Fair Queen 2nd Runner-Up and Miss Congeniality. Miss Congeniality is an award given to a contestant who is voted on by her peers to recognize positive personality traits and camaraderie.
She said that being crowned Miss Congeniality was a surprise, but it still was not her favorite part of the event. What was the most memorable for her was being surrounded by the rest of the competing women.
“The girls were really nice, and I really enjoyed making friends with all of them,” Smith said. “Both the princess and queen contestants were amazing.”
2025 Monroe County Fair Royalty Court
Queen: Laura Carnegie
Queen 1st Runner Up: Reese Oliver
Queen 2nd Runner Up: Charlie Smith
Queen Miss Congeniality: Charlie Smith
Princess: Molly Zike
Princess Miss Congeniality: Tylar Campbell
Miss Social Media: Brianna Gaylan
Contact Deshna Venkatachalam at DVenkatachalam@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: From auditorium stands to the stage: Laura Carnegie crowned 2025 Monroe County Fair Queen
Reporting by Deshna Venkatachalam, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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