Lily Nickel/News
Pictured, from left, are the four finalists of Little Miss Knox County 2019: second runner up, McKenna May of Howard; first runner up, Raylee Borchers of Fredericktown; winner, Lucy Maleszewski of Centerburg; third runner up, Alice Ruckman of Mount Vernon, and 2018 Little Miss Knox County, Piper Shinaberry.
MOUNT VERNON — Fifteen young girls competed to become the 2019 Little Miss Knox County at the Knox County Fair on Sunday afternoon. Despite the heat wave and an abundance of satin and tulle on their dresses, contestants maintained their poise and answered a set of questions for the panel of judges. The girls were asked about their favorite school subjects and what they want to be when they grow up, and a surprising majority of them answered that they love to read, and want to be veterinarians.
Lucy Maleszewski, 7, of Centerburg, was named this year’s Little Miss Knox County. Lucy attends Columbia Elementary, and loves reading because it’s “so quiet.” She wants to be a gymnast when she grows up, and looks up to Olympic gymnasts Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles.
Lucy’s mom, Bobbi Maleszewski, said that Lucy has been asking to compete since the contest was announced.
“She actually kept asking me, ‘Mom, I want to run.’ A long time ago, they had a pageant like this here at the fair, and when I was five, I won that pageant, and she wanted to follow in the footsteps,” Maleszewski said. Maleszewski said that her daughter has a wide array of interests, from reading to playing soccer.
“She loves to read, she has about 148 books in her bed at any given time. She loves to dress up and be girly, but she also loves to go outside and just dig around,” Maleszewski said.
Lucy will be joining the 2019 Knox County Junior Fair king and queen for some of their duties and appearances throughout fair week.
