Eight contestants compete to be 2010 fall festival queen

The Concordia Fall Festival Queen Contest will be presented at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Concordia High School gymnasium with eight young women competing for the crown.

Queen contestants must be single and between the ages of 16 and 21. Candidates must be from the Concordia postal or school district areas and must have a talent presentation. They will each compete in four categories -- talent, evening gown, personal interview and an impromptu question.

The winner will receive a $1,000 educational scholarship. She will attend this year's fall festival events and will represent Concordia in the 2011 Missouri State Fair Queen Contest.

The first runner-up will receive a $300 educational scholarship; second runner-up will receive a $200 educational scholarship and Miss Congeniality will receive $50.

The contestants for the 2010 event are:

*Tina Guier, 18, daughter of Tommie Cook of Concordia and Bruce Guier of Sweet Springs, is a senior at Concordia High School (CHS). She is active in volleyball and track and is a member of FFA, Concordia Music Masters (CMM) and National Honor Society (NHS). She plans to attend University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) and major in political science and minor in Spanish. She is sponsored by Laureate Delta Eta. Her talent presentation will be a baton routine to the song "I'm a Believer."

*Ariel Van Sickle, 16, the daughter of Cindy Van Sickle of Concordia and the late Bruce Van Sickle, is a senior at CHS. She is a competition cheerleader, a two-year captain of the basketball cheerleading squad and enjoys reading and scrapbooking. She attended the 2010 session of Missouri Girls State and was elected presiding circuit court judge. She is a member of NHS, student council, CMM, science olympiad team, Future Business Leaders of America vice president, and three-year member of I-70 Conference Choir. She is an alumni member of the People to People Student Ambassador Program and went to Australia as a representative of the United States. During the summer she volunteered at the Independence animal shelter. She plans to attend University of Central Missouri (UCM) at Warrensburg and major in history with a minor in psychology and then further her education at MU School of Law. She is sponsored by the Cree Mee Freeze. She will perform a redneck comedy act titled "You Might Have a Redneck Boyfriend" for her talent presentation.

*Audrey Mehl, 17, daughter of the Rev. and Mrs. Paul Mehl of Concordia, is a senior at Saint Paul Lutheran High School (SPLHS). She is active in volleyball, basketball, softball, the school choir, and enjoys reading and playing the piano. She plans to attend one of the Concordia universities and become a Lutheran school teacher. She is sponsored by Gerdts Auction and Realty, Inc. She will play the violin for her talent presentation.

*Star Hollis, 17, daughter of Dawn Hollis of Concordia, is a senior at CHS. She enjoys playing softball, hanging out with friends and shopping. She plans to become a radiologist. She is sponsored by Concordia Bank and will recite a poem for her talent presentation.

*Kamaran Dozler, 16, daughter of Michael Dozler and Carlene Dozler of Concordia, is a junior at Concordia High School. Her activities include basketball, cheerleading and track. She enjoys singing and dancing and plans to attend college. She is sponsored by Homestead 3 Realty. Her talent presentation will be a dance routine to "You're the One That I Want," which she helped choreograph.

*Halli Brackman, 16, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joel Oetting and Mr. and Mrs. Troy Brackman of Concordia, is a junior at CHS. She enjoys playing volleyball, basketball and softball, spending time with friends and family, and cheering at football games. She plans to attend UCM and major in business management with a minor in floral design. She is sponsored by Firehouse Floral and Gifts. For her talent presentation, she will give a speech while demonstrating floral arranging.

*Katie Kruse, 17, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Kruse of Concordia, is a senior at SPLHS. She is a member of her high school cross country team and wants to continue this sport in college. She enjoys watching her nephew on weekends and spending time with family and friends. She plans to attend college and major in elementary education or occupational therapy. She is sponsored by Kruse Law Firm. She will give a dramatic reading for her talent presentation.

*Taylor Bittiker, 16, daughter of Tony Bittiker of Concordia and Stephanie Bittiker of Florence South Carolina, is a junior at CHS. She enjoys playing sports for her high school, reading and spending time with friends. She plans to attend Northwest Missouri State University at Maryville and major in psychology. She is sponsored by State Bank of Missouri and will perform a flag routine for her talent presentation.

The pages for this year's contest will be Kaleigh Benson, daughter of Eric and Jamie Benson, and Braden Roepe, son of Andrew and Jamie Roepe, all of Concordia.

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