The three candidates at Friday's Kewaunee County Fairest of the Fair Gala at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds in Luxemburg impressed the whole crowd, which included three former Wisconsin State Fairests of the Fair.

Fairest candidates Vanessa Van Pay and Lexi Nowak, and Junior Fairest candidate Jakayla Steinhorst started the completion with one-on-one interviews with the judges before going before the crowd of approximately 50 people to do an introduction of themselves, an event promotion, and an impromptu question. Each candidate also created a basket that raised over $500 as a part of a live auction, with all proceeds going to benefit the Kewaunee County Fairest of the Fair program. Shortly after the auction ended, Van Pay was crowned Fairest of the Fair and Steinhorst was named her Junior Fairest.

It was worth the wait for Van Pay, who wanted to get a few years of college and some extra experience under her belt before pursuing the position. For Steinhorst, it was becoming a part of a family tradition.

Van Pay and Steinhorst will travel the county over the next 12 months visiting Kewaunee County events and promoting this July's Kewaunee County Fair.