By Brandon Martin
The registration period for the Miss Henry County Fair Pageant is now open, with applications being accepted until May 17.
The pageant, presented by B99.9FM, will be held Saturday, June 5 at the Henry County Recreation Center at 395 John Redd Boulevard in Collinsville.
“We are having the pageant before the fair because the winner will represent us at the fair,” said Roger Adams, director of Parks and Recreation. “They will compete in January of next year in the Miss Virginia Fair Pageant.”
So far, Adams said his department has received 12 applications for the competition.
“We are expecting maybe 25,” he added. “You have to live in Henry County or a surrounding county. If you are from a surrounding county, then your county cannot have a pageant” in order to compete. “If you live in Franklin County and they have a pageant, then you have to compete in theirs. You can’t compete in both.”
Adams said the idea for a pageant came after the county joined the Virginia Association of Fairs.
“We were just researching what other fairs had done and most of them had a fair pageant,” Adams said. “We just thought it would be nice because we never had a pageant here.”
The winner of the “Miss Category,” which is for ages 17 – 22, will be the official pageant representative of the Henry County Fair, but there are also eight other age categories from the “Beautiful Baby” category through adults. In addition to awards and prizes, the Miss Category winner will receive a $500 scholarship. Each contestant in all age categories will receive a tiara and gift. The winners will receive additional prizes.
The Henry County Fair will be held September 22 – 25 on the grounds at Martinsville Speedway, and will lead into the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 race at Martinsville Speedway on September 25. Anyone seeking more information about the pageant can contact the Henry County Parks and Recreation Office at (276) 634-4640 or visit the fair website at www.henrycountyvafair.com.
