WALTON - Chloe Davis, 19, of South Kortright, will perform her final duty as 2022 Miss Delaware County, by crowning her successor in a pageant which will be held Friday, Aug. 11 at 6 p.m.
Davis will not run this year as she has aged-out of the competition which is open to Delaware County contestants ages 14-18 .
Davis competed for the crown in 2019, and was unsuccessful. The pageant was not held in 2020 due to Covid or again in 2021.
Davis aced the judges’ interview, the pageant dress and casual wear competitions which are part of the evaluation process. She was one of three contestants last year and is hoping there are many more contestants this year.
The four-judge panel quizzes contestants on their knowledge of the fair and about Delaware County. They also ask other questions, Davis said, like what a contestant’s favorite fair food is and what they would change about the fair - her favorite fair food is ice cream and pizza “my go tos;” and she would like to see veterans permitted in the fair admission-free without having to wear a uniform. “It’s too hot and sticky,” she said.
Another question judge’s ask is how contestants will represent the fair throughout the year. Davis attended parades throughout the county, livestock and other events over the last year, promoting the fair.
She was nervous, she said, about the panel interview because everyone was focused on her.
“In that moment you just have to be clear and confident,” she advised. The pageant dress and casual wear competition did not make her nervous, she said, even though she is not “the girliest girl,” and instead sees herself as a tomboy.
She has loved her time as Miss Delaware County, she said; she learned new things and was able to socialize with people, including older people, who she learned a lot from. “I learned a lot about ag in general,” she said, “and the county.” She has advice for this year’s contestants, “Be confident. It might seem scary, but it is fun and exciting and it’s fun to represent your county.”
Davis is enrolled in SUNY Oneonta as an early childhood education major.
