When she was a child, Emma Vandemore would attend the Geneseo Music Festival Queen pageant and watch the contestants on stage.
“I remember sitting in the grass and looking up at the girls on stage and thinking they looked so beautiful and elegant in their dresses,” she said.
On Friday, June 17, Vandemore had the chance to be one of those girls on stage as she was crowned the 2016 Music Festival Queen.
Vandemore has participated in local pageants before. She was a finalist for the 2015 Miss Henry County Fair Queen contest where she also nabbed the “Miss Congeniality” title. She also holds the title of 1st runner-up for the Miss World Festival pageant, in Kewanee.
But the Music Festival pageant is something entirely different, she said.
Each year, the pageant is only open to recently graduated Geneseo High School seniors.
“A lot of pageants get a bad reputation because people think they’re all about beauty and how smart you are about current events,” said Vandemore.
The Music Festival pageant, sponsored by the Geneseo Rotary Club, “is more about who you are,” said Vandemore.
The interview portion of the contest is held in the afternoon at The Cellar. For Vandemore, the interview was a highlight of her competition.
“It was a five-minute interview, and I just had fun. The judges wanted to know about my personality and who I was. It was awesome to explain what I like to do for fun and what my hobbies are,” she said.
Vandemore emerged from the interview segment of the contest “with a really good feeling.”
Vandemore was one of 10 recent GHS graduates competing in the contest.
“I faced very tough competition. Every girl there probably had an amazing interview,” she said.
Though they were competing against each other for the crown, Vandemore said the pageant really was one last chance for classmates to spend time together.
“We had a blast. It was so nice to spend time with the girls and for us to all get to wear our prom dresses again,” said Vandemore.
“When you’re at school, you see your classmates working hard at their desks, but this pageant gave us a chance to show more of our fun sides,” she noted.
In front of a large crowd at the Geneseo City Park, the ten contestants took to the stage in formal gowns and later sportswear to compete for the title.
“Whenever I’m on stage, I immediately try and find my family in the crowd. I find that helps ease my mind,” she said.
Looking out to the pageant crowd also made Vandemore appreciate her community.
“When you see all the people there to support us and support the Rotary, you realize how blessed you are to live in such a tight-knit community,” said Vandemore.
At the end of the evening, Vandemore’s name was announced as the new queen and she received her crown from 2015 queen Madison Flaherty.
“It was an amazing moment. Even though I’ve participated in other pageants, I’ve never won a crown. It was such a surreal moment when they called my name,” she said.
Her win on Friday night kick-started a busy Music Festival weekend for Vandemore and her court, which included: Jenna Freebern, Katie Kibler, Becca Rapps and Shelby Clary.
“We were up bright and early on Saturday to be at the Maple City 4 race at 7:45 a.m.,” said Vandemore.
In addition to cheering on the race participants, the girls were on hand to distribute the medals and trophies.
For the rest of the day, the queen and her court spent time at the park partaking in Music Festival activities.
“We explored the park, visited the craft booths, ate food and watched the bands performed,” said Vandemore.
The girls also had the chance to learn square dancing from the Maple Leafs Squares.
In the evening, Vandemore and her court were on hand to watch the River City 6 band perform.
“I loved listening to River City 6. During each song, a couple would get up and dance. It was so sweet to watch,” she said.
The pageant winners completed their weekend by riding on a float in the Music Festival Parade on Sunday, June 19.
“We would hear little girls say ‘There are the princesses’ as we rode past,” said Vandemore. “The parade was amazing. It all really made me appreciate the Geneseo community.”
Vandemore, 18, is the daughter of Joel Vandemore and Janel Vandemore. She will attend Iowa State University in the fall where she will major in ag communications and minor in public relations.
As the 2016 Music Festival Queen, Vandemore was presented with a $500 scholarship by the Geneseo Rotary Club.
First runner-up Jenna Freebern received a $200 scholarship. Second runner-up Katie Kibler was presented with a $150 scholarship. Third runner-up Becca Rapps earned a $100 scholarship, and fourth runner-up Shelby Clary received a $50 scholarship.
Other contestants competing in the 2016 Music Festival Queen pageant were: Clara Akers, Bailey Noble, Kayleigh Kruger, Molly Lembke and Lauren Coulter.
