Owensboro’s Shaylee Leonard was crowned Miss Teen Kentucky County Fair over the weekend, beating out 72 other contestants from across the state. Leonard won the Edmonson County Fair pageant to qualify for the event, giving them their first-ever state champion.
Leonard arrived at the competition on Friday for orientation and interviews before competing in sportswear and evening gown competitions. After hearing the emcee announce her in the top 15, Leonard knew she had a chance. And then, it happened.
“I still don’t think it has fully sunk in yet, but I’m super blessed and honored to be given this title,” she said.
While she has competed in pageants for many years, this marks only the third time she’s been in the Miss Teen Kentucky County Fair.
“I’ve been competing in pageants for several years, so I had a lot of experience,” she said. “I practiced my interview questions and my evening gown walk, but other than that, I didn’t really do anything special to prepare.”
Leonard is a sophomore in high school, and when she’s not competing in pageants, she works part-time at Chick-fil-A. Though she’s a resident of Daviess County, most pageants are open, allowing anyone who meets the parameters to compete. The Edmonson County Pageant’s organizers were happy to call her their own.
“For the first time in the history of the Edmonson County Fair Pageant, our Miss Teen Edmonson County just won state,” the group said in a Facebook post on Saturday. “Congrats to Shaylee for being crowned the 2023 Miss Teen Kentucky County Fair! We are so proud of you!”
After taking some time to celebrate, it will be right back to competitions for Leonard. She aspires to parlay her success in pageants to gain recognition for a cause she holds dear.
“I want to grow my platform, ‘Brace yourself for a Cure,’ where I create bracelets to sell and raise money and awareness for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital,” she said. “I also plan to attend as many county fairs and pageants as possible.”
