Kicking off the 2022 Salem County Fair season, a new fair queen was crowned Tuesday evening.

Cali Foote of Monroeville, Nj. will represent the Salem County Fair Association at various Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H events throughout the year. Marissa Bower won 2nd runner-up and Audrey Sickler won first runner-up.

“It is such an honor to be able to represent Salem County,” Foote said.

Foote is a 17-year-old senior at Woodstown High School and currently the Woodstown FFA Vice President. Foote is a member of the County Corners 4-H Club where she raises and shows market hogs. Foote is an active member of the Pole Tavern Ruritans, as well as the Elmer Grange. She enjoys spending time doing FFA events as well as spending time with her family.

Foote competed against Sickler, Bower, Noelle Straub, and Kirsten Flood. Each woman is heavily involved in 4-H, FFA and other clubs from their respective high schools. Each contestant has a bright future pursuing nursing and business.

“They mean a lot to me. It’s taught me a lot of life skills and how to be put through different situations.” Foote said, discussing what being apart of FFA and 4-H means to her.

In order to compete for the pageant, girls in Salem County must be 16-18 years of age. They must also be recently involved in FFA, 4-H, Grange or Girl Scouts. Besides their relevant fair association involvement, they must also be actively involved in their school and community. The contestants participate in an onstage question, model their formal dresses and partake in the intermission show.

The intermission, a raffle of homemade goodies and gifts, is a fan-favorite among the crowd. The contestants model and hand out the goodies, then they’re right back to competing.

Judging is broken down and scored in the following way: 10% for appearance and 30% for speech, overall involvement and resume.

“[In] FFA, my most honored award was my first year for me being treasurer and doing all the hard work [by] keeping the receipts and keeping track of all the money through our chapter,” Foote said during her onstage question. “[We submitted] an application at the national state level to win Treasurer of the Year in my first year,”

The Fair Queen wins a $500 check and is present for much of the competitions throughout the week, handing out awards. The first runner-up wins $100 and second runner-up wins $50.

Foote will be active during the week of the fair handing out rewards and meeting with the community. For more information about the Salem County Fair Queen pageant, visit the Salem County Fair Queen webpage. The Little Miss Salem County Fair Queen will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening.

The Salem County Fair is an annual, week-long event for the whole family. Competitions, showcases, and awards are given out throughout the week. The fair is held Tuesday, August 9 and concludes Friday, August 12. For details about the event, visit the official Salem County Fairgrounds website.