She's the queen
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on September 28, 2014 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/BOBBY WILLIAMS
Rebecca Drew of Rosewood is crowned the 2014 Queen of the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair on Friday night at the culmination of the annual Fair Queen Pageant. Placing the crown on her head is last year's queen, Sylina McKinney.
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From left, Sierra Downs, third runner-up; Morgan Kohnen, second runner-up and talent award winner; Sylina McKinney, 2013 Fair queen; 2014 Fair Queen Rebecca Drew; Janey Jones, first runner-up; and Neysa Wellington, Miss Congeniality.
A 14-year-old with aspirations of becoming a neo-natal nurse was named 2014 Queen of the Fair Friday night.
The annual contest, which helps kick off the 10-day Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair, was held in the entertainment arena with eight contestants competing for this year's title.
Open to high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, competition categories included talent, casual wear, evening wear and group interview.
Contestant No. 4, Rebecca Drew, a freshman at Rosewood High School, performed a dance for her talent entry -- and ended up earning herself a crown.
The daughter of Donna and Michael Drew said she tried out for the contest because "it just sounded really fun."
A regular patron of the fair, Miss Drew said her favorite part is the funnel cakes.
Hearing her name announced as winner was exciting, she said, as was the experience in the weeks leading up to it.
"I loved making friends," she said afterward.
A Girl Scout, she earned a silver award for her work with Diamonds in the Ruff Foundation, which works to rehabilitate and find adoptive homes for dogs. She also participates in cheerleading, DECA and the Eagle Club at school and attends Providence Methodist Church.
Gaye Hare, director for the past 25 years, returned this year, sharing duties with her daughter, Susan Hare Herring, and granddaughter, Presley Herring.
Shaun Braswell served as emcee. Entertainment was provided by singer Casey Sutton, second runner-up in the 2005 fair queen event and a graduate of Charles B. Aycock High School. In addition to the popular "Let it Go" from the movie "Frozen," she sang an original song, "One Horse Town," from her recently released EP, "The Road Ahead."
First runner-up went to Janey Jones, a Southern Wayne senior, who performed a dance.
Second runner-up was Morgan Kohnen, a sophomore at Charles B. Aycock High School, who sang "The Promise." She was also awarded the Nikki Painter Talent Award.
Sierra Downs was named third runner-up. The Rosewood High sophomore sang the Beyonce song "Ave Maria."
Neysa Wellington, a senior at Goldsboro High School, was selected by her fellow contestants as Miss Congeniality.
Prizes awarded included in-kind scholarships from the University of Mount Olive. The queen received a $2,000 award, while the first runner-up received a $1,500 scholarship, second runner-up a $1,000 scholarship and third runner-up a $500 scholarship.
Other contestants were Jessica Milligan, a Rosewood High School senior who performed the Adele song "Someone Like You"; Crystal Merritt, a senior at Southern Wayne High School, who also sang an Adele song, "Set Fire to the Rain"; and Michala Core, a Southern Wayne senior who danced to the Anthony Evans song "Silence."