No one could have wiped the smile off Chelsea Bragg’s face after she was crowned the 2007 Emo Fair Queen at the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Fall Fair on Thursday.
“It’s so shocking,” enthused the 17-year-old who lives north of Emo in Finland. “Everyone did so wonderful. I didn’t think I would win.”
The queen crowning ceremony—which took place at the Emo-La Vallee Community Centre after the entertainment portion of the pageant—saw last year’s queen, Samantha Loveday, First Princess Ashley Jewett, and Second Princess Alyssa Vanderaa passing on their crowns.
Sairah Chabot of Devlin was named this year’s First Princess, while Raylene Smith of Naicatchewenin First Nation accepted the title of Second Princess.
Bridgette Thompson of Emo received the honour of Miss Congeniality. Rebecca Mosbeck and Brittany Roen rounded out the competition.
“I just can’t believe it,” Bragg stressed as she hugged and greeted well-wishers after the crowning. “I’m so happy. I’ve always wanted to be a community role model.”
The girls competed in five categories—banners, floats, interviews, talent and a fashion show—and Bragg placed in many of the categories, as well as taking home the Dorothy Bonot Award.
And each sold all of their 300 promotional buttons.
For her entertainment on Thursday evening, Bragg performed her rendition of the Dixie Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl”—complete with costumes and acting thanks to help from her friends.
Chabot offered up a slow, yet dramatic dance with a partner, which she dedicated to her late friends Neil Roy and Ben Klyne, while Smith lip-synced a comical routine to “She’s a Bad Mamma Jamma.”
Meanwhile, Mosbeck sang Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” Thompson performed Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract,” and Roen lip-synced along with Hannah Montana’s “True Friend.”
Local performers, such as Teagan, Seth, and Kayla Lauzon, Brittany Hayes, Nelson Bragg, Lisa McPherson and Katelyn Shortreed, filled in between each act. Emcee Candy Greengrass-Teeple also offered up some jokes and humourous stories.
Co-organizer Trisha Wilson, a former fair queen, noted this year’s event went smoothly.
“The girls did a great job,” she exclaimed. “They’re all winners. It was a really close competition.”
Sis Wilson, Mary Croswell, and Debbis Carlson also helped to organize the event. Angela Cousineau, Morris Judson, Sue Herman, and Shelley McTavish were this year’s judges.
Wilson explained Bragg will have a busy year ahead.
“She’ll have to attend parades and big community events in the district,” she noted, citing it’s not about stealing the spotlight at these events, but becoming involved in the community.
Bragg will be attending the University of Winnipeg this fall and is hoping to receive a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
But she won’t let the distance stop her from being a community role model.
“It’s not that far—I’ll come home anytime they need me too,” said Bragg, adding she has a few initiatives of her own that she’d like to accomplish during her reign as queen.
She indicated she’d like to bring some awareness to stop drinking and driving among local teens and she has always wanted to host a benefit dinner for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease) which claimed the life of her mother, Susan Chepil, in 2006.
The contestants all took home a range of wonderful prizes thanks to donations and sponsorship from many district businesses.
The girls sponsors included Norfab, Cloverleaf, Circle D restaurant, A Little Off The Top, Ted Halvorsen’s Top Soil Sales, and Tompkins Hardware.
The various category winners were:
•Dorothy Bonot award—Chelsea Bragg
•Miss Congeniality—Bridgette Thompson
•Banners—1. Rebecca Mosbeck/Raylene Smith (tie) 2. Chelsea Bragg 3. Sairah Chabot/Brittnay Roen (tie)
•Interviews—1. Sairah Chabot 2. Chelsea Bragg 3. Raylene Smith
•Fashion Show—1. Chelsea Bragg 2. Rebecca Mosbeck 3. Sairah Chabot
•Floats—1. Rebecca Mosbeck 2. Brittany Roen 3. Raylene Smith
•Entertainment—1. Chelsea Bragg/Sairah Chabot (tie) 2. Rebecca Mosbeck 3. Raylene Smith
