The Montgomery County Fair has officially announced its queen candidates for the 2026 contest, which is scheduled for July 20.

Only four girls will be competing for the big honor, three of them are returning from last year’s contest. The candidates are Ann Rose, Matti Hager, Sarabeth Trenner and Arianna Craven.

The contest begins at 7:30 p.m. on July 20 at the Grandstands Arena, kicking off the 79th annual fair. It will be preceded by the Little Mr. and Miss Contest at 6 p.m.

Last year, Lila Uthlaut — who is now attending the University of Wyoming — was crowned fair queen. She was part of a court that included Rose, Hager, Trenner, Melanie Muller and Madison Bickell.

Fair Secretary Chasity Lichtenberg said she is excited about this year’s court. It includes students from Montgomery County High School (Rose), Mexico High School (Hager), Hermann High School (Trenner) and Van-Far High School (Craven).

“Contest preparations are just getting underway, but the contestants are already hard at work and have some exciting talents planned that we think fairgoers will really enjoy,” Lichtenberg said. “We are looking forward to showcasing these outstanding young women during the competition.”

Rose, a Montgomery City resident, will be a senior at MCHS this fall. She will be in her fourth year with the school’s FFA chapter, serving as vice-president.

A year ago, Rose won an award for top season pass seller after selling 129 season passes. She was voted Jonesburg Homecoming Queen in 2024.
Hager will be a senior at Mexico this fall. Last year, she earned an award for Miss Congenality and picked up the People’s Choice Award.

Trenner, who lives in Rhineland and will be a senior at Hermann this fall, was voted first runner-up in last year’s contest.

Craven will be competing in the queen contest for the first time. She will be a junior at Van-Far this fall.

The six-day county fair will run until July 25. This year’s theme is “Stars, Stripes and Summer Nights.”