Murray crowned 2015 Winnebago County Fair Queen

     Rebecca Murray of Buffalo Center presided as Queen of the 2015 Winnebago County Fair, after taking the crown in the Coronation Ceremony last Thursday, July 16.

     Murray, the 18-year-old daughter of Mike and Janelle Murray, says she’s wanted to be fair queen ever since she was little. She has been an active member of the Grant Gleaners 4-H Club, serving as president, and the Bison FFA Chapter, serving as secretary.

     “It’s been awesome,” said Murray of her experience. “It’s tiring but really fun.”

     Murray spent a lot of time handing out ribbons and trophies during the various shows at the fair, except for the beef show, where she was busy showing her own animals. She also took part in the fair parade on Sunday.

     She says her favorite thing about being queen has been getting to meet all sorts of people at the fair, and she’s excited to meet more new people when she represents Winnebago County at the Iowa State Fair this August in Des Moines.

     Murray won’t be the only member of her family competing in this year’s Iowa State Fair Queen Pageant, as her cousin Emily Martins was selected as this year’s fair queen in Buchanan County. All of the state’s fair queens will head to Des Moines on August 11, two days before the State Fair begins, for the start of the pageant, and the State Fair Queen will be crowned on August 15.

     Murray plans to attend the University of Northern Iowa this fall to major in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education.