Georgetown Fair Queen: 23 Compete to be the 2012 Georgetown Fair Queen

On Sunday, August 5th we were on hand at the Georgetown fairgrounds to photograph a pageant contestant tradition: the contestant fair walk.  The fair walk is a visit to the fairgrounds by all the contestants competing to be the next Georgetown Fair Queen.  The contestants spend an afternoon on the grounds visiting the exhibit buildings, touring the livestock barns, and even washing cows!  One of these women will soon call the Georgetown fairgrounds home, as she will spend the entire week there as the official hostess of the Georgetown Fair.

We hope to see you this week at the 2012 Georgetown Fair.  We'll be easy to spot - just look for the queen and her court and we won't be far behind.  In honor of 2011 Georgetown Fair Queen Alexandria Hannan, this year's pageant theme is "Hunting for a Queen," so if you don't make it to the pageant on Monday night be sure to look for Alex's new sign in the show arena.  If you know Alex the camo sign will jump right out at you, but if you need extra help, savvy readers will spot it in a few of our pictures.

We can't wait to find out who will be the 2012 Georgetown Fair Queen!  The 23 contestants will have a full day before the pageant with private interviews and speech competition, so be ready to cheer for your favorite contestant at the grandstand Monday night.  And check back here to see pictures of 2012 Georgetown Fair Queen winner and her court!

Georgetown Fair Queen: Alexandria Hannan and the 2012 Fair Family Dinner

On August 2nd all the contestants competing for the title of 2012 Miss Georgetown Fair Queen joined Alexandria Hannan at the Fair Family Dinner on the Georgetown fairgrounds.  The Georgetown Fair Family Dinner is a special meal put on for all the board members, volunteers and friends of the fair.  Each year the banquet center building is packed with people celebrating the success of one of the best fairs in Illinois, and the contestants are on hand not just to introduce themselves, but to help clear tables and pass out dessert before they go to pageant practice.

As the official photographers of the Georgetown Fair Queen, we are especially focused on the pageant, but we can't help but note the incredible success of the entire Georgetown Fair.  We listened at the dinner as one of the board members announced that sponsorships and support of the fair has greatly increased over the last few years, and the fair board continues to turn that money into fairground improvements that everyone in the community will enjoy.

With the support of an incredible fair board, the Georgetown Fair Queen program is one of the top fair queen programs in the state of Illinois.  Pageant director Karen Thornsbrough talked about how participation in the Georgetown pageant is always among the highest in the state, and how proud she was to have such a great group competing for Alexandria's job.  During her speech Queen Alexandria talked about her experience as queen and how it has impacted her life.

We've really enjoyed photographing 2011 Queen Alexandria Hannan and we hope you've enjoyed following her journey as the Georgetown Fair Queen on our blog.  We'll be posting pictures all week during the 2012 Georgetown Fair, so get ready to meet the new queen and see all the excitement!

Georgetown Fair Queen: Practice makes perfect

On Saturday, July 14th we traveled to Danville, Illinois, to do the contestant headshots for the 2012 Georgetown Fair Queen Pageant.  Now that we've got pictures of the contestants you can look forward to seeing them soon in the local newspaper, but until then keep reading Josh and Joe Travels to follow along with the young women competing to be the next Georgetown Fair Queen.

When we visited with the contestants on Saturday, they had gathered on the campus of Danville Community College to turn in paperwork, be photographed, and practice interview and modeling skills.  Each contestant got a chance to mock interview with fair board members and volunteers who know what it takes to be successful as fair queen.  This practice is just one in a schedule that helps get everyone prepared to really shine on stage during the pageant in August.

Next week contestants will do another mock interview in Georgetown and have the chance to visit the Edgar County Fair Queen Pageant with Georgetown directors Karen Thornsbrough and Jill Pope and 2011 Miss Georgetown Fair Alexandria Hannan.  Before they get to the mock interviews they will start learning the opening number for the pageant.  We got a sneak peak of just how cool this year's opening number will be and we can't wait to see it on stage in front of a packed grandstand.

Georgetown Fair Queen: Portraits of 2011 Queen Alexandria Hannan

Back in May we spent a really fun day with 2011 Georgetown Fair Queen Alexandria Hannan and her directors, and now that many of you have seen Alex's camo portraits we thought we post a few more.  We actually met up with Queen Alex in the morning in downtown Danville for a quick shoot.  From there we went to lunch and then on to an appearance where Queen Alex was judging the D102 Mother Daughter Contest at the Danville mall.

After the appearance we went to Forest Glen Preserve which is one of Alex's favorite places for a few more pictures.  It was a marathon day of photography for us - we even had to stop at Walmart to buy more AA lithium batteries for our speedlites - but it was definitely worth it and we had lots of fun.  During the shoot we worked our new Lastolite Ezybox pretty hard, which came in especially handy for an unplanned stop in an old theater and when Joe had to boom a light on a monopod over a creek at Forest Glen.  We were proud to give Queen Alex a framed print of one of the shots from Forest Glen, and some of you might have seen it on display at the Queen's Tea and Contestant Orientation.

During her year the Georgetown Fair Queen makes dozens of appearances and has lots of exciting adventures.  We can't wait to see who Alex crowns as the 2012 Georgetown Fair Queen in August!

Georgetown Fair Queen: 2012 Queen's Tea and Contestant Orientation

The race toward crowning the 2012 Georgetown Fair Queen started on Sunday, July 8th at the Georgetown fairgrounds when the doors opened for the Queen's Tea.  Held annually in July, the Georgetown Queen's Tea is an informational meeting and orientation for prospective contestants, and this year about 30 young women showed up to find out how to fill out paperwork and get ready for the August fair queen pageant.

For the next month the contestants will attend practices, rehearsals and mock interviews so they will be at their best when they hit the stage for the 2012 Miss Georgetown Fair Queen Pageant.  2011 Queen Alexandria Hannan has spent the past year representing the Georgetown Fair and she will crown the next queen at the conclusion of the 2012 pageant to be held the evening of August 6th at the grandstand.

During the Queen's Tea Alex gets to talk about some of the highlights of her year and she shows off her pictures and memorabilia from her year.  Next directors Karen Thornsbrough and Jill Pope go through the contestant paperwork and schedule information so everyone knows what to expect for the next month.  Still got questions?  Contestants were in good hands with former fair queens Brandi Thornsbrough, Chelsea Tarquini and Danielle Sacre all on hand to share insights from the experience representing the Georgetown Fair.

Our next trip to Georgetown will be to do the contestant headshots, so be looking in the local newspaper closer to the pageant to meet all the contestants.  And keep checking Josh and Joe Travels to keep up with the contestants as they prepare for the 2012 Miss Georgetown Fair Queen Pageant!

Georgetown Fair Queen: Alexandria Hannan at the Oakwood July 4th Parade

On Wednesday, July 4th we went out to Oakwood, Illinois, to photograph Miss Georgetown Fair 2011 Alexandria Hannan as she rode in the Oakwood Independence Day Parade.  Queen Alex will ride in several parades during the summer to promote the Georgetown Fair and the Georgetown Fair Queen Pageant.

Think you've got what it takes to do Alex's job?  Be sure to join us on Sunday, July 8th at the Georgetown fairgrounds for the Queen's Tea, which is the contestant information and orientation session for the 2012 Georgetown Queen Pageant.  Directors Karen Thornsbrough and Jill Pope will be on hand to answer all your questions and give you a hint of all the exciting things they have planned for this year's pageant.  Look for Karen and Jill on Facebook or get their contact info on the official Georgetown Fair Queen website.  See you there!