For 2021 Great Jones County Fair Queen Karli Recker, the July 19 coronation provided one last opportunity to look back on her year as Jones County royalty.
“These past 364 days have been such an incredible experience with so many lifelong memories,” she said.
Recker said her reign has provided her with a “real time of growth,” which started in earnest when she attended the Iowa State Fair and started to get to know her fellow royalty from across the state of Iowa.
“There were 102 queen candidates, and I didn’t know any of them, and I was rooming with three of them. I had to get to know them right when I got there,” she said following the coronation.
The situation was an example of one of the skills she’s taken away from the experience: getting more comfortable interacting with people that she’s never met.
In particular, in picking her song, “Queens Don’t” for her entrance, Recker felt it was a good illustration of what she’s tried to portray as fair queen. She added that, “by going on stage in my formal gown, in addition to showing in my cowgirl boots, to illustrate you don’t have to just be the queen of the beauty pageant, you can be the queen of the show ring, classroom and workplace.”
With her parting advice, Recker encouraged her successor to take advantage of the opportunities her reign will present to her.
“To the next queen, my best advice is to be your authentic self. Hold your head high through the ups and downs and grab ahold of those opportunities that may seem nerve-racking at first,” she said.
