Miss California Mid-State Fair

Who Runs The Fair?

By Christianna Marks

Girls!

On July 20, a new Queen and her Princesses were crowned during the Miss California Mid-State Fair [CMSF] Pageant. Five young ladies from Templeton and Paso Robles vied for their spot on the 2022 court by racking up points at meetings and during the interview, talent, evening wear, and final question segments of the pageant's run.

This year, the crowd-favorite event had its contestants competing on the California Mid-State Fair's opening night, a format the pageant returned to in 2021.

After interpreting Old Dominion's "No Such Thing as a Broken Heart" in American Sign Language [ASL] for her talent, wowing the crowd with her iridescent dress, and answering her final question, 17-year-old Brooke Smith of Templeton not only took home the title of Miss Congeniality and the pageant's talent scholarship, but she also walked away with the title of Queen of the CMSF. "It's so special to me because I've been showing pigs here [at the CMSF] since I was 9, so this whole experience has become kind of the background of one of my biggest hobbies, and it just means so much to me," said Brooke of becoming Miss California Mid-State Fair.

Brooke recently graduated from Templeton High School and will be attending Cuesta College. She has also been involved with the Rio Rancheros 4-H and Templeton FFA for years.

She went on to say that she's seen many of her friends, who've competed in years prior, go on to do incredible things after their time in the pageant, and that she's excited for the year to come.

First Runner-Up went to Templeton's Sarah Barr. The 19-year-old is currently attending Cuesta College. She also teaches dance at Artistry in Motion and, during the pageant, performed a contemporary dance routine to Elton John's "Benny and the Jets" as her talent. "After all of it [the competition] was over; I felt like I accomplished something with a crown or no crown. I just feel so accomplished about what I did tonight," added Sarah, who also won the pageant's interview scholarship. "I'm just really happy to be on the court this year and be with these amazing girls and get to share this experience with them."

Paso Robles' own Jenna Shapero rounded out the 2022 Court as Second Runner-Up. The 17-year-old just graduated from Templeton High School and, like the rest of this year's court, will be attending Cuesta College. At the pageant, Jenna displayed her welding prowess with a presentation for the judges and audience that included showing off some metal flowers she created with her own hands. "It's unbelievable. I can't ... I mean, I can't believe this happened. I think I'm still in a little bit of shock," Jenna stated. "I'm very excited for things to come."

The Miss California Mid-State Fair Queen and her court were present for the entirety of the fair and will also attend many events throughout the year leading up to the 2023 fair. "They're the ambassadors of the fair for the whole year," said Patti Lucas, who's directed the pageant since 2001.

Artistry in Motion also provided entertainment during the pageant, and 2021's Queen Yvette Fiorentino gave an emotional final walk before handing her duties over to Smith as Miss California Mid-State Fair 2022.