Georgetown Fair Queen: Fair Family Dinner with Queen Desiree Bainbridge

One of the best parts of being a contestant in the Georgetown Fair Queen Pageant is getting to go to fair family dinner before the fair officially opens, and as the official photographers of Miss Georgetown Fair we're there capturing every moment. We think this is one of the best experiences for the contestants because it is a chance for them to meet the fair board, volunteers, sponsors and families who make Georgetown one of the best fairs in the midwest. And trust us, we've been to fairs in nine states.

The Georgetown Fair will open this year with an updated grandstand schedule and some improvements to the grounds, and even with changes in funding you can count on the the board to deliver a top notch fair. Hats off to all the sponsors who help make the pageant and the fair happen every year, like our friends from D102 who were at fair family dinner to meet the contestants. The folks at D102 are always having a great time so look for them on the grounds all week at the Georgetown Fair, and keep your radios tuned in to hear from the fair queen and her court throughout the week.

We'll be posting new pictures all week as we follow the contestants during their tour of the fairgrounds on Sunday, during interviews on Monday afternoon, and we'll be right there on Monday night when Queen Desiree crowns our next Georgetown Fair Queen. So keep checking back to see all the pictures, because you'll see it first right here at Josh and Joe Travels!

Georgetown Fair Queen: Potomac Parade with Queen Desiree Bainbridge and the 2015 Georgetown Fair Queen Contestants

The Potomac Independence Day parade is a tradition with the Georgetown Fair Queen, and this year Queen Desiree Bainbridge continued a new tradition of appearing in the parade with the Georgetown Fair Queen Pageant contestants. You might remember we did this last year and we had a lot of fun, so we were thrilled to be there again this year with Queen Desiree.

The Georgetown Fair Queen is one of the busiest fair queens in the state - we'd put a list of Queen Desiree's appearances up against one of those big state or national pageant systems any day of the week. And the best part is that we get to the be there with Queen Desiree to capture some pretty cool moments. If you are like us you probably can't wait to see who Queen Desiree crowns to be the next Georgetown Fair Queen, so keep checking back right here for all the pictures with Josh and Joe Travels!

Georgetown Fair Queen: 2015 Queen's Tea and Contestant Orientation with Desiree Bainbridge

As the official photographers of the Georgetown Fair Queen we've been having an incredible year with Miss Georgetown Fair 2014 Desiree Bainbridge, and we can't wait to see who is crowned the 2015 Georgetown Fair Queen in August at the annual pageant.

Each year things kick off at the queen's tea, and this year Queen Desiree Bainbridge really got things started with her safari theme. The decorations at the tea are a little hint of what you might see at the pageant in August, so keep watch right here at Josh and Joe Travels for all the pictures.

Being the Georgetown Fair Queen is one of the best jobs in Illinois, and Miss Georgetown stays busy in the community with organizations like AMBUCS, or you might see her at a charity walk, or maybe you'll see her at the festival of trees reading stories to kids. And don't forget the queen's trip to the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant in January. But we still have a lot ahead of us this summer with Queen Desiree. Next up are official headshots with the contestants and a parade appearance, so keep checking back for all the pictures. And be sure to wave if you see Queen Desiree, because she travels with an entourage when she brings Josh and Joe Travels!

Cincinnati and Newport: Bobby Mackey's haunted places in Wilder, Kentucky

When we travel we love to learn the history of the places we visit, and visiting haunted places is probably the most interesting way to see a place from a different perspective. We've been on haunted history tours everywhere from Kansas City to Key West, and Joe loves watching all those ghost hunter shows, so its probably not much of a surprise that on a recent visit to Newport we couldn't help but go down the road a few miles to Wilder, Kentucky to see Bobby Mackey's.

Bobby Mackey's has quite the reputation and has been featured on several popular ghost hunting shows. One of the first things that surprised us was just how close this place really was to downtown Cincinnati - you can practically see the skyline from their parking lot.

We went by on the middle of the day in bright sunshine, but you don't have to do much searching online to find out about all the hauntings that are reported to occur after dark. Bobby Mackey's is right along the Licking River and some railroad tracks in an old historic river town area that fits the bill quite nicely if you are looking for a legit haunting.

We're loving our time in Cinci and Newport, so don't be surprised if you see us at Bobby Mackey's or on some walking tour in Newport or Cinci, and if you do, be sure to say Boo! when you see Josh and Joe Travels!

Cincinnati and Newport: Visiting Newport on the Levee and Cincinnati

We've been to Cincinnati a lot over the years to shop and go to occasional sporting events, but this spring was the first time we really spent time exploring Cincinnati and nearby Newport, Kentucky, and boy to we have a lot to show you! For those of you who may not know the area, Newport is a small town right across the river from downtown Cincinnati. Newport is home to Newport on the Levee, which is an outdoor mall filled with great places to eat and home of the Newport Aquarium. We recommend going when the weather is nice so you stroll along the riverfront and check out the view of downtown Cinci. And when your done at Newport at the Levee you are just steps away from the rest of Newport, which has a great little main street of its own and historic neighborhoods which are very pedestrian friendly, so leave your car where you parked it and take a walking tour. If you love river towns and history as much as we do, look online for guided history tours or even a ghost tour of the area.

We are loving our time in Cinci and we have lots more to show you, so if you see us around Cinci with our cameras in and, be sure to say hi when you see Josh and Joe Travels!