Page 2 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 3 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 90th Annual Logan County Fair Sunday, August 2nd, 2026
Page 4 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 The NOTSO Big Band were on hand to perform in the grandstand on the first day of the Logan County Fair. Their performance preceded the harness races. It was originally scheduled for 11 a.m. but was pushed back due to weather and track conditions that postponed harness racing. The NOTSO Big Band is directed by Harry Hild (pictured front left). In addition to the Logan County Fair, the band has performed at other venues in the county, the Elkhart Homecoming for example. The group of nine musicians were not just talented, but very friendly with each other and the audience. It was clear they were friends and have been playing together for a while as they cracked jokes with each other between songs. Hild shared that they have been playing for about ten years now. With the name NOTSO Big Band, and less NOTSO Big Band Performs at the Logan County Fair than a dozen musicians, you might have been fooled by the sound of their playing. They could be heard clearly from outside the grandstand and even in the parking lot. They played instruments ranging from saxophones and trumpets to keyboards, drums, and guitars. Most of their songs were from the late 60’s and early to mid 70’s. Examples of song covers include ‘Gospel John’ by Jeff Steinberg, ‘Mercy Mercy Mercy’ by Joe Zawinul, and ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ by Blue Swede. In honor of Route 66’s 100th anniversary, the band played ‘Route 66’ by Bobby Troupe. NOTSO Big Band performed an hour set and then played the Star Spangled Banner before the harness racing. [Matt Boutcher]
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Page 6 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Sunday harness races at the Logan County Fair On the first day of the Logan County Fair, Sunday, August 2nd, the annual harness races were held on the fairground’s dirt track. The shaded portion of the grandstand was full of people there to watch the event. The races were originally scheduled to start at noon but due to the rain the previous day, were pushed back two hours for track preparations. The announcer, Josh Carter, gave much of the credit for the track being ready to Superintendent of Speed Dave Irwin, who Carter said was out at 6:30 that morning trying to fix the muddy track. There were eleven races in total, with an approximately fifteen-minute break between each race. Between the races, a water truck and a tractor would go around the track and smooth it out. The previous racers would get off the track, while the new racers would get on. Each race started with a mobile starting gate, a white car with arms attached, leading the racers to the starting line. The arms of the gate would then be pulled in, and the riders and their horses would complete two half-mile laps. At the end of each race, the winner and their families would all stand on the track for a photo. Some races were a bit of a blow out, while others were extremely close. Several races ended with the second-place rider just barely pulling in front for the victory. While the audience cheered for every race and racer, the cheers for the close races were notably louder.
Page 7 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Results: Race 1 (Topline 2 year old pace): - 1st: Connor Prather with You Light Up - 2nd: Jamaica Patton with Red Eye Boss - 3rd: Jacob Roedl with C Saskatchewan Race 2 (Topline 2 year old trot): - 1st: Isaac Love with Help Me Out - 2nd: Jacob Roedl with Showstopingirl - 3rd: Mike Brink with Fantastic Rosie Race 3 (Topline 3 year old and up pace): - 1st: Rick Schrock with Fox Valley Lava - 2nd: Marcus Detweiler with I Understand - 3rd: Cole Prather with Shes Brookes Star Race 4 (ISA 2 year old filly pace): - 1st: Connor Prather with Deba Roo - 2nd: Freddie Patton Jr with Dashing Val - 3rd: Mike Cox with Homestead Vengence - 4th: Rick Schrock with Clios Liquidity Race 5 (ISA 2 year old colt pace): - 1st: Freddie Patton Jr with Touch of Turbulence - 2nd: Alexander Cante with Fox Valley Whisper - 3rd: Rick Schrock with Hezapromisekeeper Race 6 (ISA 2 year old filly trot): - 1st: Nike Brink with Lousiren - 2nd: Freddie Patton Jr with Shady Maple Dream - 3rd: Jerome Daniels with GRC Mandy Race 7 (ISA 2 year old colt trot): - 1st: Connor Prather with Rolex Complex - 2nd: Jamaica Patton with Milkshake - 3rd: Rick Schrock with Johny Hawkinsville - 4th: Douglas Graham with Wild On Waldorf - 5th: Curt Grummel with Alloys Superstar - 6th: Jerome Daniels with CL Bonfire
Page 8 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Race 8 (ISA 3 year old filly pace): - 1st: Mike Cox with Fox Valley Polaris - 2nd: Jerome Daniels with Trevors Redhotgirl - 3rd: Freddie Patton Jr with Super Sage - 4th: Connor Prather with San Antonio Storm Race 9 (ISA 3 year old colt pace): - 1st: Connor Prather with Conagher - 2nd: Rick Schrock with Smoknthmsomestars - 3rd: Jamaica Patton with Itsmrflossintime - 4th: Mike Brink with Trailerpark Trevor Race 10 (ISA 3 year old filly trot): - 1st: Cole Prather with Chknlitesandchrome - 2nd: Mike Cox with No Flies On Me - 3rd: Curt Grummel with Sunburnt Senorita - 4th: Jerome Daniels with TVs Tia Wind Race 11 (ISA 3 year old colt trot): - 1st: Chris Brown with Lous Lottery - 2nd: Isaac Love with Lou’s Tru Lou - 3rd: Freddie Patton Jr with Class Comedian [Matt Boutcher]
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Page 10 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 11 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 90th Annual Logan County Fair Monday, August 3rd, 2026
Page 12 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 4-H visual arts and general projects at the Logan County Fair The judging of 4-H Non-original Visual Arts, Visual Arts and general projects at the Logan County Fair was held Monday, August 3rd. As usual, there were hundreds of outstanding entries. Visual arts participants may use various media including paper, clay, leather, fiber, wood, chalk, carbon/pigment, glass/plastic, metal, and nature to produce their art. Art can also be 3D or computer generated. Original arts are designs created completely by the exhibitor while non-original arts are created from kits, pre-printed designs, or premolded pieces. Other projects included animal science, career/ leadership, general entomology, floriculture, horticulture and photography. Some 4-H members did several projects using various media and entered both visual and non-visual projects, while others focused on one or two projects. Many have been working on their projects for a few months with others, beginning in just the last few weeks. Participants included those new to 4-H and those who have been members for several years. For some, 4-H has been a generational family tradition. Among those in their first year of 4H is nine-year-old Davis Lorenz. David did three projects. He painted a red panda on wood, did a still life of a daisy using pencil on paper and created a clay pottery bowl.
Page 13 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Coralee Coers is another first year member of 4H. Coralee focused on one project: a basket. She was in Cloverbuds last year and has an older sibling who is also in 4H. Ten-year-old Dani Gray is in her second year of 4H and did several projects. Her projects included a scrapbook about Route 66, making a plushie deer mount, making a clay pickle, sewing a pair of shorts, a jacket she beaded and a floral entry. Veteran Kristy Morrow, in her final year of 4H, has entered numerous projects over the years. This year, she focused on two: authoring a poem for creative writing and doing visual arts fiber. Morrow said the visual arts project took her about 30 hours. The flowers in the project are made completely out of pipe cleaners using special folding techniques and fastening them with floral tape.
Page 14 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Judges score visual arts entries on correct use of design elements, principles, expressive elements and technique in addition to craftsmanship, creativity and inventiveness. During and after judging, judges make comments explaining to participants what they did well and how they could improve. Little details can make a difference. Creative writing judge Tristan Sites explain to one entrant, “I like the emotion you are conveying.” Sites asked participants what prompted them to write their stories or poems and told them what stood out to him. Judges look closely at the stitching for sewing entries. Judge Claire Stanfield asks about their favorite part of the project and biggest thing they learned from doing it. There were a variety of entries this year including a costume and beaded jacket. [Angela Reiners]
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Page 22 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 4-H Floriculture Displays Bright Blooms at the Logan County Fair Several local 4-H floriculturists brought their bright blooms to be judged on Monday morning, Aug 3. There were a number of flower arrangements and cut flower entries on display. The judge spent several minutes with each entrant asking questions about the different varieties of flowers used in arrangements, when they had planted the flowers, and if they had planted the flowers from seeds or seedlings. She asked about the size of the plants and if they encountered any issues while growing the flowers. She wrapped up by asking if the participants would do anything different in their growing process next year. There was friendly competition between the Wrage sisters, Olivia and Ellie. Olivia spoke with the judge about her marigolds, and Ellie spoke extensively about her hydrangeas. Hattie Jones, a first-year 4-H member, brought her Denver lilies, daisies, and verbena. For Scout Coers, in her second year of 4-H, floriculture was just one of her projects. She brought two arrangements with flowers from her garden and her grandma’s. She also had entries in sewing, a project on horses in animal science, and a creative writing project. Scout will be showing her Dorset Advantage sheep, June, on Thursday. She enjoys the animal barns, the rides, and her favorite fair treat is a snow cone. [Joli Boerma Crane]
Page 23 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Field and Vegetable Crops on Display at Logan County Fair While awaiting the official opening of the fair on Tuesday, 4-Hers gathered Monday to display their best field and vegetable crops. Submissions were down from last year, however, judges spent ample time discussing the entries with each participant. Members from Sangamon and Menard County 4-H groups are included among this year’s participants. The Hassebrock family of Middletown’s 4-H club represented the entries for corn and soybeans. Kianna, Kenley, and Leland entered each category. On the other side of the barn, vegetables were on display, and judges were seen examining them closely and discussing the projects with the participants. Whitney Beisiegel was chosen as State Fair Delegate for her presentation on sweet corn. Grace Nutter won State Fair Delegate for her vegetable and fruit display. Madisen Werth took home several ribbons for her entries in sweet corn and tomatoes. Liam Nutter was the State Fair Delegate with his tomatoes, and Remington Houser was selected as delegate for his jalapeno peppers. Other entries included several varieties of tomatoes, an eggplant, garlic, jalapenos and poblano peppers, and green beans. [Joli Boerma Crane]
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Page 29 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 90th Annual Logan County Fair Tuesday, August 4th, 2026
Page 30 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Logan County Fair kicks off 90th year with a ribbon cut The 90th Annual Logan County Fair officially kicked off with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday morning near the fairground’s west gate in Lincoln. Those present for the ribbon cut included Logan County Fair Board members President Herman Schwantz, President Elect Nathaniel Gieseke, Vice President Nathan Applegate, Secretary Clay Irwin, Treasurer Kevin Kurtz, members John Fulton, Larry Stanfield, Rod Conklin (board member John Coers was unable to attend), 2025 Miss Logan County Fair Julia Collins, Junior Miss Courtney Cecil, Little Miss Vayda Farmer, 2026 Miss Logan County Fair candidates Ivy Sandel, Kristy Morrow, Reece Winebrinner (Grace Carter was unable to attend), Logan county Board Member Lance Conahan, Lincoln City Clerk Peggy Bateman, Logan County Extension leader Terri Miller, and an assortment of fair volunteers. Lincoln Daily News’ Karen Castelein, Joli Boerma Crane and Nila Smith assisted with the event. After introductions, the program was turned over to fair board president Herman Schwantz. He began by extending a welcome to everyone, and a wish for good weather for the week. Schwantz also thanked the many volunteers that were a part of each year’s fair. After the cut was concluded he mentioned to Lincoln Daily News that the value of the volunteers was undefinable. In addition to those here this year, there are several people who were long-time volunteers in various
Page 31 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 capacities that have passed since the last fair. He said those people are too many to mention without missing someone, but he urges the public to visit the memorial page in the 2026 fair book. The exiting queens were acknowledged and given a chance to say a few words starting with Queen Julia Collins. She said it was exciting to be a part of the 90th annual Logan County Fair. She said that they (the queen and her court) had a wonderful year representing Logan County. She noted that the citizens of Logan County welcomed them with open arms and they appreciated the love. Queen Julia concluded by saying it “is a pretty emotional day for us, giving up our crowns and introducing the new queens, but we want to say we are so grateful to be here this morning.” Junior Miss Courtney Cox said she would second everything Queen Julia said. It had been a great year, and she was “super excited” to see who the new queens would be. Little Miss Vayda Farmer agreed with the other two saying she too was excited for the Tuesday night pageant.
Page 32 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Logan County Extension Director Terri Miller was asked to speak representing the Extension and Logan County 4-H. Miller said she wanted to extend words of gratitude to the Logan County Fair Board for producing such a wonderful community event since 1936. She extended appreciative words to all the many volunteers who work hard to deliver an enjoyable experience for everyone. With speeches concluded the traditional posed photos were taken, and at the perfect moment, the three queens snipped the ribbon on the 90th Annual Logan County Fair. The county fair will continue throughout the week, closing on Sunday with the annual 4-H Auction, Cake Classic Auction, My favorite Pie Auction and in the grandstand the annual demolition derby. [Nila Smith]
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Page 34 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Logan County Farm Bureau Young Leaders host kiddie tractor pull at Logan County Fair The Logan County Farm Bureau Young Leaders group hosted a kiddie tractor pull Tuesday morning at the Logan County Fair. Twenty-nine children competed by pedaling a child-sized tractor while attempting to pull a weighted trailer. Groups were divided into lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight divisions. The lightweight group started the competition. Many friends and family members were on hand to cheer and support the kids. The lightweight group was very competitive with twelve participants. Six did full pulls on their first attempt resulting in a pull-off. This resulted in three more full pulls and a second pull-off was needed. The final pull-off had only one full pull. In the middleweight group, thirteen participants all made valiant efforts, though there was just one full pull. The heavyweight group was small in number, with just four participants, but mighty in effort with two full pulls. In the resulting pull-off, one made it all the way.
Page 35 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 The top three competitors in each group were announced and posed for a photo. Mavrick Deppe placed first in the lightweight category. Elliot Bruns placed first in the middleweight category retaining his title from last year. Wyatt Charron placed first in the heavyweight category. First place winners received trophies. Second and third place winners received medals. The top competitor in each category also received a bag of popcorn from Abe’s Caramel Corn. All the participants posed for a photo after the winners received their awards. The Logan County Farm Bureau Young Leaders group hosts several kiddie tractor pulls around the county each year. Additional event sponsors included Tremont Bank, AgLand FS, Culler’s Fries and Abe’s Caramel Corn. [Angela Reiners]
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Page 42 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 4-H Rabbit Show at the Logan County Fair The annual Logan County Fair 4-H rabbit show was held in the livestock show barn at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4th. The barn was busy with people, some for the rabbit show, and others the 4-H poultry show being conducted on the other side of the venue. There were several rabbit entries to be shown, certainly more than the previous year. Jerry Hicks returned as the judge for this event. He examined each animal carefully. Hicks showed the participants how to hold their rabbits for presentation, and explained the various criteria he was looking for in the rabbits. Hicks was good with the kids, making sure to give them true and proper critiques, but always saying good things about each animal, even if they were not the winner in each category. [Matt Boutcher]
Page 43 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 The following are each category that was judged, as well as that category’s winner: Junior Showmanship: Hannah Glandon Senior Showmanship: Raelee Komnick Meat Pen: Cloey Sandel - All 6 Class Breeds: Raelee Komnick All 4 Class Breeds: Emmary Grenlund Opposite of Sex All 4: Cloey Sandel Reserve Grand Champion Rabbit: Raelee Komnick with Oreo Grand Champion Rabbit: Emmary Grenlund with Frances
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Page 46 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 4-H Poultry Show at the Logan County Fair The 4-H poultry show was held in the livestock show barn at the Logan County Fair on the morning of Tuesday, August 4th. The event ran concurrently with the 4-H rabbit show being held on the other side of the venue. The barn was busy with people attending one, the other, or both shows. There were many more entries for the event than in the previous few years. 4-H Superintendent Jessica Wibben said there were about ten birds entered last year with 4-H and open show combined. This year, the number was closer to forty. In addition to the traditional birds, there were entries for ducks and eggs. Wibben stated it had been a number of years since they had entries in these categories. Josh Flees judged the 2026 competition, resuming the role he held the year before. Flees proved himself to be extremely knowledgeable and was able to spot different categories of bird at a glance. He showed
Page 47 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 participants what about their birds he liked, and areas he thought needed improvement. Flees was honest with the kids but careful not to discourage any of them. He helped the participants to understand proper holding of the birds and what they could do throughout the year to help make their birds more competitive at future poultry shows. Flees was also very knowledgeable about the three ducks and four dozen eggs that were entered as well. He helped those participants understand how to tell the gender of a duck by its quack and feathers and what makes a good dozen eggs to show in a contest. The show ended with the Junior Showmanship contest. Flees again spoke with all eight competitors to help them improve where needed but allow them to take the lead in showing their birds. He asked questions and took several minutes with each entrant to listen, talk, and evaluate their showmanship abilities. [Matt Boutcher]
Page 48 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 The banner winners for each category are as follows: Champion Cockerel: Adelynn Peters Champion Pullet: Alex Cook Champion Water Fowl: Cloey Sandel Champion Chicken (presented by Dale Maxheimer in memory of Maxiene Maxheimer): Alex Cook Junior Poultry Showmanship: Adelynn Peters
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Page 60 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 2026 Little Miss Logan County Fair Contestants Name: Piper Haffner City: Mount Pulaski Daughter of: Alexandria Haffner Name: Raelyn Freed City: Lincoln Daughter of: Alyssa & Sam Freed Name: Millie Mason City: Lincoln Daughter of: Brent & Megan Mason Name: Tayah Matheny City: Lincoln Daughter of: Courtney & Trevor Matheny Name: Quinn Fink City: Lincoln Daughter of: Meghan & Brock Fink Name: Ava Bunn City: Lincoln Daughter of: Tom & Kristi Bunn Name: Emmylou McCree City: Atlanta Daughter of: Patrick & Brande McCree Name: Layla Schreiner City: Middletown Daughter of: Sasha & Matt Schreiner Name: Finley Farmer City: Lincoln Daughter of: Cory & Chynna Farmer
Page 61 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 2026 Little Miss Logan County Fair Contestants Name: Murphy O’Donoghue City: Beason Daughter of: Carissa & Zac O’Donoghue Name: Brynlee Bossingham City: Lincoln Daughter of: Megan & Josh Bossingham Name: Camryn Neitzel City: Lincoln Daughter of: Ethan Neitzel & Ashleigh Neitzel Name: Eislee Bolen City: Emden Daughter of: Nicole & Dakin Bolen Name: Kynlee Adams City: Lincoln Daughter of: Jade Adams & John Hoblit Name: Braylen Lee City: Lincoln Daughter of: Zach & Tiffany Lee Name: Remy Rohrer City: Lincoln Daughter of: Taylor & Jason Rohrer Name: Liliana Glenn City: Lincoln Daughter of: Erin & Jason Glenn
Page 62 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Name: Hinley Schneider City: Lincoln Daughter of: Chris and Shanna Schneider Name: Falyn Farmer City: Lincoln Daughter of: Cory and Chynna Farmer Name: Sadie Goodman City: Lincoln Daughter of: Steven and Jessica Goodman Name: Olivia Wrage City: Lincoln Daughter of: Jason and Elizabeth Wrage Name: Reagan Anderson City: Lincoln Daughter of: Ryan and Lindsey Anderson Name: Sofia Farmer City: Lincoln Daughter of: Brandon and Courtnee Farmer Name: Savannah Rawlins City: Lincoln Daughter of: Sean and Brandi Rawlins Name: Harper Tripplett City: Lincoln Daughter of: Bret and Shanae Tripplett 2026 Junior Miss Logan County Fair Contestants
Page 63 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 2026 Logan County Fair Queen Contestants Name: Reece Winebrinner City: Lincoln Daughter of: Tiffany and Aaron Winebrinner Name: Kristy Morrow City: Lincoln Daughter of: Kristen Green, Terence Puffer, and David Morrow Name: Grace Carter City: Atlanta Daughter of: Samantha and Adam Nagrocki Name: Ivy Sandel City: Lincoln Daughter of: Sarah and Ryan Guyett
Page 64 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Grace Carter crowned Logan County Fair Queen Joined by Junior Miss Falyn Farmer and Little Miss Finley Farmer On a balmy Tuesday evening, four elegant and talented queen contestants, eight delightful junior misses and seventeen adorable little misses from competed for the chance to represent Logan County at the fair and other events throughout the year. In his nineteenth year as Master of Ceremonies, Cameron Kurtz welcomed everyone to the 87th anniversary of the queen pageant, 18th anniversary of the little miss pageant and 10th anniversary of the junior miss pageant. He expressed thanks to numerous businesses, sponsors, fair board and other volunteers who made the event possible throughout the evening. Queen Julia sang the National Anthem to kick off the evening’s events. 2025 Logan County Fair Queen Julia Collins was escorted to the stage by her father Josh. Queen Julia welcomed everyone, saying, “We have some wonderful contestants backstage who are so excited to show you how they have prepared.” Queen Julia was excited to be celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Logan County Fair and told everyone to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. For their opening number, queen candidates glided across the stage to Taylor Swift’s “Opalite.” The candidates competing for the title of Logan County Fair Queen included: Ivy Sandel of Lincoln. Daughter of Sarah and Ryan Guyett. Ivy will be a sophomore at Illinois State University this fall where she is studying medical laboratory science. Kristy Morrow of Lincoln. Daughter of Kristen Green, David Morrow and Terence
Page 65 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 Puffer. Kristy will be a sophomore at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign this fall studying agricultural consumer economics. Grace Carter of Atlanta. Daughter of Samantha and Adam Nagrocki. Grace will be a freshman at the University of Kentucky at Lexington this fall where she will be majoring in elementary education. Reece Winebrinner of Lincoln. Daughter of Tiffany and Aaron Winebrinner. Reece will be a sophomore at Illinois College in Jacksonville, where she is pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice. To display communication skills, 40 percent of the score, queen contestants spoke on a topic of their choice. One topic included learning to ignore stereotypes after discovering how sororities create strong independent women who push you to grow. Others discussed pushing out negative thoughts and looking for the light, seeing the impact teachers make and wanting to shape the future and being brave when pursuing your own path. For the pop question, contestants were asked, “what is one value you hope never goes out of style?” Answers included kindness and creating a loving community, balance and prioritizing our family, work, happiness and mental health and not taking your family for granted. The rest of the scoring was based on an earlier interview and an evening gown competition. The local Junior Miss competition began in 2017 for girls aged nine to 12. In 2018, the age range was changed to girls 11 to 13. 2025 Logan County Junior Miss Courtney Cecil was escorted to the stage by her father Tommy. She welcomed everyone and said all the contestants had worked very hard the last few weeks, so she told everyone to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. Junior Miss contestants glided across the stage to Miranda Lambert’s “If I Were a Cowboy.” This year’s Junior Miss contestants included: Hinley Schneider, Falyn Farmer, Sadie Goodma, Olivia Wrage, Raegan Anderson, Sofia Farmer, Savannah Rawlins and Harper Tripplett. They are all from Lincoln. Fifty percent of the Junior Miss scores came from an earlier interview, twenty-five percent
Page 66 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 came from the communication portion, and the final twenty-five percent is stage presence. For communication skills, each Junior Miss discussed their favorite activities including cheer, basketball, volleyball, track, dance, showing animals, fishing, baking, farming, musicals and reading. Before the Little Miss contestants were introduced, 2025 Little Miss Vayda Farmer was escorted to the stage by her father Brandon. This year’s Little Miss contestants were: Piper Haffner, Raelyn Freed, Millie Mason, Tayah Matheny, Quinn Fink, Ava Bunn, Emmylou McCree, Layla Schreiner, Finley Farmer, Murphy O’Donoghue, Brynlee Bossingham, Camryn Neitzel, Eislee Bolen, Kynlee Adams, Braylen Lee, Remy Rohrer and Liliana Glenn. Little Miss contestants were judged largely on an earlier interview, which made up 75 percent of their score. The remaining 25 percent of the score came from their stage presence. As always, the Little Miss contestants provided some sweet moments as they introduced themselves, telling their ages, where they live and their favorite parts of the fair including rides, games, showing animals, the petting zoo and eating corndogs. Time between sections was filled by special guests including queens, junior misses, little misses and others with titles from various Illinois counties such as Menard, Mason, McLean and towns like Farmer City. They all stood up to be recognized and waved at the crowd. Other guests included several former Logan County Fair Queens, Junior Misses and Little Misses from over the years. Before results were announced, the outgoing 2025 royalty gave farewell speeches. Little Miss Vayda said, “I cannot believe my year as Little Miss Logan County has come to an end. It has been an amazing year full of memories. Some favorite opportunities were passing out ribbons, the Pink Pumpkin auction, all the parades and cheering on Queen Julia at state, where she did a great job.” Vayda then thanked the fair board, pageant directors and her family for all their support and talked about how much she loved her sash sisters for making her laugh. As for the new Little Miss, “you are going to have the best time making memories.” Junior Miss Courtney said it is so hard to believe this incredible year is coming to an end. Being junior miss was such an honor and wearing the crown and sash has meant so much to me. Representing the county has taught me about where I live and about myself as I met many amazing people and attended fun events. She thanked the fair board, pageant committee, the community and all who made everything possible, her family and friends
Page 67 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 for being by her side. Courtney said her sash sisters were very special to her with Vayda bringing bright joy to her and growing up so much this year and Julia being the greatest role model who was always supportive and helpful. She wished the next Junior Miss the best of luck and hoped she would have an amazing year. In her farewell speech, Queen Julia said, “I was five the first time I stepped onto this stage after my parents entered me in the Little Miss pageant. It has been a fifteen year journey for me. My reign was the first trifecta in the county, and it is an honor I have not taken lightly. Three goals, three crowns and memories I will cherish forever. So many people have shaped me.” Queen Julia then expressed appreciation to the fair board, her first two sash sisters Kelsey (Ubbenga Meeker) and Molly (Schempp Knerrer), pageant crew, siblings, friends and parents. She has special memories of sash sisters, Vayda and Courtney. Julia said Junior Miss Courtney’s poise, maturity and kind heart were inspiring and she saw Courtney grow so much this year. Little Miss Vayda’s enthusiasm and infectious smile were one of the highlights of the year. She said Vayda is so witty and she has unforgettable memories of their times at the fair. Finally, the judges’ decisions were announced. Grace Carter was crowned 2026 Miss Logan County Fair Queen; Falyn Farmer was crowned Junior Miss Logan County and Finley Farmer was crowned as the new Little Miss Logan County.
Page 68 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026 The first Runner-Up for queen was Kristy Morrow, who won the Dean Bruns Memorial Miss Congeniality Award. The Crowd’s Choice was Grace Carter Reece Winebrinner sold the most raffle tickets and connected with the most businesses. Other awards for the Junior Miss contest were First Runner-Up Sadie Goodman and Second Runner Up Olivia Wrage Savannah Rawlins sold the most raffle tickets and was also chosen as Miss Congeniality. Crowd’s Choice winner was Sadie Goodman. Other awards for the Little Miss contest were First Runner-Up Tayah Matheny and Second Runner-Up Piper Haffner. Crowd’s Choice was Ava Bunner, most raffle tickets sold was Layla Schreiner and most photogenic was Quinn Fink. This fall, Queen Grace, who is a 2026 Olympia High School graduate, will attend the University of Kentucky at Lexington where she will be majoring in elementary education. Her goal is to one day return to Logan County to teach the next generation of students. In high school, she was active in volleyball, basketball and soccer in addition to being a member of the student council and National Honor Society. For the first time, two of the sash sisters are sisters in real life with Junior Miss Falyn being an older sister to Little Miss Finley. A name like Farmer also makes them good ones to help preside over fair events. Queen Grace, Junior Miss Falyn and Little Miss Finley will reign over the remainder of the Logan County Fair attending various events and presentations handing out ribbons. The fair royalty will then represent Logan County at various events throughout the year with Queen Grace competing in January for the title of Miss Illinois County Fair. [Angela Reiners]
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Page 86 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 87 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 88 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 89 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 90 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 91 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 92 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 93 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 94 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 95 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 96 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 97 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
Page 98 Lincoln Daily News 2026 Logan County Fair August 2026
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