For the second year in a row, six girls will be competing for the Montgomery County Fair Queen.

Ann Rose, Lila Uthlaut, Madison Bickell, Matti Hager, Melanie Mueller and Sarabeth Trenner are the candidates for the 2025 Fair Queen. By the end of Monday night, one of them will be parading around the stage at the Grandstands Arena with a crown on her head.

The contest begins at 7:30 p.m. Monday, kicking off the 78th annual fair. It will be preceded by the Little Mr. and Miss Contest at 6 p.m.

Last year, Macy Bader was crowned fair queen. She was part of a court that included Beth Bextermiller, Allison Boedges, Claire Cobb, Hannah Davis and Shea Stille.

This year’s court includes students from Montgomery County High School (Rose), Wellsville-Middletown High School (Hager), Mexico High School (Bickell) and Hermann High School (Mueller and Trenner). Uthlaut graduated from Hermann in May.

A queen contest BBQ fundraiser was held on June 27. Most of the meals were pre sold to local businesses.

“The girls worked really hard,” said Chasity Lichtenberg, secretary of the Fair Board. “We sold right at 500 orders this year!”

Also, the queen contestants participated in a bonding event on July 1 at Manni’s by Maddie Salon in Montgomery City. Savannah Hollaway, who owns Hollaway Esthetics in Montgomery City, was the organizer of the event, teaching the candidates about skincare. K. Lynn Photography owner Kalli Hernandez also helped with the event.

“The girls had a wonderful time learning about skincare and getting to know each other,” Lichtenberg said.

Rose will be a junior at MCHS this fall. She will be in her third year with the school’s FFA chapter, serving as chaplain and historian. Last summer, she was voted Jonesburg Homecoming Queen.

Uthlaut is a current member of the Montgomery County Fair Board and serves as a recorder. She was a member of Hermann’s FFA chapter and volleyball team. The 18-year-old lived in Montgomery County all of her life. She plans to attend the University of Wyoming this fall.

Bickell is from Wellsville. She competed in track and cross country at Mexico High School.

Hager will be a junior at W-M this fall. She plans to pursue a career in esthetics. Her older sister, Kristi, owns Celestial Beauty in Montgomery City.

Mueller plans to be a veterinarian in the future. She works as a kennel assistant at the Hermann Vet Clinic. She serves as a social media officer on the Junior Fair Board.

Trenner is a member of the Hermann High School FFA chapter.