Jr. King and Queen
Every year Topsfield Fair hosts a pageant for children between the ages of 5 and 8 years old to become the Junior King and Queen. They then serve as a representative of the Fair at local parades and other events throughout the upcoming year. Janet Spell, chairperson of the department, began in 1973 when her daughter was crowned the Junior Queen. In 1974, Janet became the Chairperson of the Junior King & Queen Department. Our Junior King & Queen contest is free, casual and fun and is not like the glitzy pageants shown on TV.
The contest is just a matter of being in casual clothing and being interviewed by Mrs. Essex County and asked a few questions; like who they are, where they are from, their age, do they have siblings, what do they like most about school, what do they like to do at the fair, and other questions that get them to interact with Mrs. Essex County. In the early years, Janet quickly learned that most 2-5 year old kids were stage shy and/or non-verbal. Since she has changed the age range to 5-8 it has worked out much better.
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The Junior Kings and Queens have enjoyed many appearances in and around Essex County. Beginning the week they are crowned, they are in parades on the fairgrounds, and appearing at the Mrs. Essex County Pageant. They are also in parades and appearances throughout the year. Among them are the Beverly Santa Parade (now the Beverly Holiday Parade) usually held Thanksgiving weekend, the Gloucester Horribles parade usually held the day before July 4th, the Newburyport Homecoming Parade in August. They find other appearances for the kids during the year. Every spring, the Rabbit Dress-up Contest is an event they are always invited to attend and the kids have helped with the the Topsfield 5K race. In past years, they have appeared at the Miss Massachusetts Pageant (when Sally Ride was Miss Essex County) and I vividly remember an appearance at Liberty Tree Mall with Big Bird. The person who was suppose to wear the Big Bird Costume was stuck in traffic and Janet ended up wearing the costume.
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