Participants in the 2016 Queen Daphne pageant at the Tucker County Fair with pageant organizer Tana Smith.
By Beth Christian Broschart
The Parsons Advocate
PARSONS – Three girls competed for two titles during the 2016 Queen Daphne Pageant during the Tucker County Fair. This year the pageant was directed by Tana Smith. Girls appeared in casual wear and evening gowns and they presented a fair promotion and answered an on-stage question.
Beth Zirkle, 18, from Junior, West Virginia was crowned the 2016 Queen Daphne. Zirkle is the daughter of Kathie and Danny Staten and she is a junior at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She is studying special education with an emphasis on autism.
“I want to be Queen Daphne and want to be a role model for Tucker County,” she said. “This is not just about a crown on my head or a sash on my shoulders. I want to be someone that young girls look up to as a role model. I want to serve as Queen Daphne.”
Zirkle is a cheerleader and is a member of the WVWC Dance Company. She served as the 2015 Randolph County Fair Queen and is the current Miss Teen WV in the International Pageant.
First Runner up for Queen Daphne was 20-year-old Caroline Young. She is the daughter of Dana and Jamie Young and is from Short Gap. She attends Allegheny College in Maryland and is studying Nursing.
Young is a model and she enjoys doing pageants and caring for animals. She was in the 2016 Miss West Virginia Pageant, and was Miss Hampshire County 2015 and Miss Potomac Highland 2015. Her hobbies include dance, pointe and ballet.
Isabelle Hauser was selected as the 2016 Junior Miss. ‘Izzy’ is a fifth-grade-student at Davis Thomas Elementary Middle School. She is the daughter of Terry and Jill Hauser of Eglon, and is active in the Country Explorers 4-H Club.
Izzy is a member of the Youth Group at the Maple Spring Church of the Brethren. She said her favorite color is teal and her favorite school subject is science. When she grows up she wants to go to Potomac State College and West Virginia University to study to be an Ag Teacher. Her hobbies include sewing and gymnastics.
Shaylea Wolfe, 4, of St. George was the flower girl for the Tucker County Queen Daphne Pageant. Shaylea is the daughter of Nick and Ashley Wolfe and attends preschool in Parsons. She likes being on the farm and has five boxer dogs.
Shaylea said her favorite color is purple and her favorite food is strawberries. She likes the fair animals best at the Tucker County Fair.
The judges for the Queen Daphne pageant were Jerry Corley, Nicole Allison and Danielle Wilfong. The auditor was Johnette Michael.