Candidates to vie for top ticket sales and fair queen title

Cierra Lindsey, 2023 Linn County Fair and Rodeo queen, will pass on her crown to the winner of the 2024 ticket sales contest. (Journal file photo)

By Roger Sims, rsims@linncountyjournal.com

Five young women will be tasked with raising funds for the 52nd Linn County Fair and Rodeo over the next two weeks by selling tickets to four nights of events plus four raffles for rifles, one raffle each night.

As an incentive to sell the most tickets, the candidates will receive a portion of the tickets they sell. Cierra Lindsey, last year’s fair and rodeo queen who will be a senior at Jayhawk-Linn High School this year, sold $12,600 worth of tickets with the combined sales of the five queen candidates was nearly $38,000.

All of the queen candidates have already hit the ground running on ticket sales. The top saleswoman will be crowned Linn County Fair and Rodeo queen before the start of the demolition derby on Saturday, Aug. 3. Lindsey will be on hand pass on the crown to the new queen.

Austin Stroup, Linn County Fair Board president, has reportedly estimated that this year’s fair attendance could set a record.

Several queen candidates already have been working crowds at events in early July, including the annual Blue Mound Independence Day celebration and the Linn Valley Independence Day parade. Queen candidates will be setting up sales tables at convenience stories, outside of grocery stores and in box store parking lots in their efforts to boost sales. Originally there were six candidates, but one of the candidates withdrew.

Tickets are for the demolition derby on Aug. 3, the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pull on Sunday, Aug. 4, and for the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association rodeo, which is split into two nights, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 9 and Aug. 10. At each one of those events, a rifle will be raffled off as well.

The queen candidates include the young women listed below in alphabetical order.

Rees Chapman

Rees Chapman of rural Pleasanton will be a senior at Pleasanton High School this fall. A member of the Busy Bugs 4-H Club for 11 years, she has held the posts of treasurer,

secretary, and parliamentarian during that time. She has been involved in FFA at PHS for six years and has been president and vice president of the chapter as well as earning  District Star Greenhand. She enjoys showing sheep, pigs, and her “fur baby Harley.” She has been a member of the Linn County 4-H Dog Club for 11 years, a member of the county’s 4-H leadership team, and she has been a part of the staff at the county 4-H day camp for the last four years. She was named to the PHS chapter of the National Honor Society last year, and has been elected to be PHS Student Council president for the coming year. A member of the Farlinville Grange, she is also very active in her church, the First Baptist Church of Mound City. She plans to attend Kansas State University and major in agricultural education. To contact her to purchase tickets, call or text 620-224-8749 or send email to rees.chapman@usd344.org.

Mylee Leisure

Mylee Leisure of Prescott will be a senior at Jayhawk-Linn High School this fall. She has been a member of the JLHS FFA program for four years and has competed in events judging land, horses, poultry, livestock and veterinary science. In addition to showing sheep for FFA, she has been on the JLHS track team for four years and on the cheer squad for two years. Her career goal is to graduate with a doctorate of veterinary medicine from Oklahoma State University and go on to graduate study in equine dentistry with the goal of opening her own practice. She enjoys her side jobs that allow her to work with exotic animals such as kangaroos, camels, porcupines and even a monkey. She loves spending time with family and friends. To contact her to purchase tickets, you can call or text 913-222-9710.

Kelsee Poole

Kelsee Poole of Mound City will be a senior at Jayhawk-Linn High School this fall. For the last two years she has been a member of the JLHS FFA chapter and has earned a Greenhand degree. As a junior, Kelsee took the welding class at the Southeast Technical Academy for Rural Students (STARS) and is now looking forward to becoming a union welder. She works and her hobbies include welding, fishing, spending time with family and friends. To contact her to purchase tickets, call or text her mobile phone number, 913-701-4811, or send email to kelseepoole@gmail.com.

Kally Stroup

Kally Stroup of rural Parker will be a senior at Prairie View High School this fall. A member of the Cadmus 4-H Club for 11 years, she has also been active in the PVHS FFA chapter for three years. She was a member of the chapter’s dairy cattle judging team that placed third at state this spring. Inducted into the school’s National Honor Society as a sophomore, she is a member of the State Championship track team in 2023, placed third at state cross country in 2021, and has won numerous league and state honors in basketball. A member of the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, she attends Centerville Community Church and enjoys participating in athletics, showing livestock, and hanging out with family and friends. She has her sights set on attending college and playing basketball at the collegiate level. To purchase tickets from her, call 785-433-1643 or send email to stroupkally@gmail.com.

Cheyenne Wingate

Cheyenne Wingate of Pleasanton will be a sophomore at Pleasanton High School this fall. A former member of the Barn Harvesters 4-H club, where she served as reporter and historian, she now devotes her time to the PHS FFA chapter, where she is currently the reporter.

In addition to carrying a 4.0 grade-point average through her two years at PHS, she had won awards in FFA livestock sales and district meats. A member of the school band for four years and choir member for three years, she has participated in basketball, football, softball and cheer as well as winning academic awards. She has also been named employee of the month at Louisburg Healthcare and Rehab. To contact her to purchase tickets, call or text 785-433-3620.