Thanks for making pageant great

To the editor:
What are three words to describe the 2015 Miss Jay County Fair Queen Pageant?
Weather, change, success.
I would like to thank the many businesses and organizations of Jay County for their support of this year’s Miss Jay County Fair Queen Pageant. Thank you to the Jay County Fair Board for its support and to the Portland Breakfast Optimist Club for the financial support. A big thank you goes out to the pageant committee and to our coach and mentor, Tina Schwieterman, 1986 Miss Jay County Fair Queen and Miss Indiana State Fair Queen. Our thanks to the Jay School Corporation and Jay County High School and personnel for helping us to transition to the high school auditorium for the pageant this year. Thank you to The Commercial Review, Rob Weaver, WPGW and Adams County Memorial Hospital for advertising and coverage of the pageant. We appreciate the following facilities for their assistance in providing meeting places and resources: Jay County Public Library, Trinity United Methodist Church, Asbury United Methodist and Richard’s Restaurant. We thank Charlie Rohrer, Lori Reece and Lindsay Green for helping with the sound and lights for the pageant at the high school.
Thank you to Portana Travel, Spencer Apartments and an anonymous donor for purchasing the jewelry from J&P Plating for each contestant. First Bank of Berne sponsored the crown and pins, B&G Pools and Spas purchased the sashes made at Patriot Sportswear and Embroidery and Scott Benter at Edward Jones bought the trophies. Reni’s Heaven Scent, The Flower Nook and Cook’s Nursery donated flowers and plants. Photography by Annie Frantz and Debi Gillespie, and videotaping by Darrin Sanderson will provide lasting memories for our 2015 participants. Contestant gifts were purchased with a donation from Walmart.  Thank you to Display Craft for helping with the signs for the parades and for donating the signs for the queen. I would encourage the community to support our local businesses that participated in this year’s pageant, including the 75 advertisers who made the program and other pageant expenses affordable.
Thank you to the community for supporting this year’s pageant at the new venue and for monetary donations made at the pageant. There were 20 former Miss Jay County Fair Queens, including the first Miss Jay County Fair Queen, Ramonda (Bryan) Fisher, who graced the stage to be recognized during the entertainment portion of the 2015 pageant. This year marks the 40th year that the queen pageant has been sponsored by the Portland Breakfast Optimist Club.   The sponsors this year for the candidates were: The City of Dunkirk, Pizza Hut, Fishers Packing, Culy Farms, Glam Studio, Delta Theta Tau, Pioneer Packaging, Barnett’s Towing, T-Flyerz, First Bank of Berne, Crossroads Financial Credit Union, Dave’s Heating and Cooling, Cooper Farms and Jay County FFA.
Finally, many thanks to the 2014 queen and court and their families for their assistance, and to the parents/families of this year’s candidates for their support.  
The nine candidates this year were especially caring, patient and gracious.
One of the judges asked each candidate in the interview portion of the pageant for three words that would describe themselves.
I would say that this year’s candidates were: beautiful, talented, flexible.
Sincerely,
Julie K. Hunt
Event Chairperson
Portland Breakfast Optimist Club