SUMMIT STATION - The 31st Schuylkill County Fair is just around the corner, but there isn't a long line of young women eager to become fair royalty.
"We only have two, a candidate for Little Miss and a candidate for Queen," Charlene Hoffman, New Ringgold, a member of the fair's board of directors, said Thursday.
Then, on Friday morning, a candidate for Princess stepped up, Hoffman said.
Rachael Naradko, 18, of Port Carbon, the fair's 2013 queen, was surprised to hear there weren't more candidates and suggested the fair do more to advertise the royalty contests.
"Normally, we have an abundance. Last year, there were four queens, about 15 or 16 princesses and almost 25 little misses. There was a lot. I'm surprised there's not as many, but I think we have to promote it more," Naradko said Thursday.
Hoffman said the fair board is looking for new ways to get the word out about the contest.
"We're trying to come up with other things to do. We're actually looking for suggestions. We have limited resources because we're nonprofit and we're trying to do what we can with what little we have," Hoffman said.
Pageant/Coronation Day is July 28 at the fair. The deadline for royalty contestant registration was supposed to be July 5, but fair officials will now accept applications until July 12, according to Hoffman.
Young women interested must fill out an application which is available on the fair's website at www.schuylkillfair.com.
According to the "Royalty Contest Rules and Information Contestant Qualifications" on the fair's website, contestants must be county residents and must be certain ages to qualify for the following royalty competitions: Little Miss, 7 to 10; Princess, 11 to 15; and Queen, 16 to 20.
This will be the 31st consecutive year the Schuylkill County Fair has been held. Meanwhile, it will be the 28th nonconsecutive year for the royalty pageant, according to the newspaper's archives.
Events related to fair royalty traditionally begin a few days before the fair.
In 2009, the fair worked to boost its popularity with a "Mini Carnival Night" at the Fairlane Village mall, which was held the weekend before the fair.
This year, that event isn't being held, according to Naradko.
"I know the girls really liked it, but we had poor attendance. We were trying to get more people to come out and there really wasn't anybody else in the mall aside from the contestants themselves," Hoffman said.
Contestants will arrive at the fairgrounds in Summit Station from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 26 for a Royalty Bash, Naradko said.
The contestants will meet the judges July 27 at a "Judges Reception" at the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds from 6 to 8 p.m. at the fair's "Ag Museum," Hoffman said.
July 28 is Pageant/Coronation Day at the fairgrounds. The royalty contest will be held at 3 p.m. and the 2014 fair Queen, Princess and Little Miss will be crowned at 8 p.m.
For more information and for registration, prospective contestants are asked to visit the Schuylkill County Fair's website at www.schuylkillfair.com or email Jaclyn Hoffman at jackirh08@yahoo.com.
So far, three young women who signed up are Casey Gregory, Pottsville, a contestant for Queen; Kate Kramer, Minersville, a contestant for Princess; Katrina McNulty, Shenandoah, a contestant for Little Miss.
Charlene Hoffman is the mother of Jaclyn Hoffman, the 2007 queen of the Schuylkill County fair who has served as the fair royalty adviser since last year.
Charlene said she's been stepping up to do more since September, when her daughter took a job as a second-grade teacher at North Duplin Elementary School in Mount Olive, North Carolina.
"She is the royalty advisor. This year, I've become a co-advisor," Charlene Hoffman said.
Young women who have questions about this year's fair royalty contests can call 570-617-1190 or email jackirh08@yahoo.com.