By Dawn Hatfield

DailyAdvocate.com

VERSAILLES — On Friday, June 9, 2023, 20 lovely contestants, ages five through seven, met inside the old high school gymnasium on Center Street in Versailles to see who would emerge as the winner of the 39th annual Little Miss Poultry Days contest.

The contest, sponsored by GNB Banking Centers, was judged by Lena Durst (Greenville), Rebecca Vagedes (Versailles), and Julie Trissell (Versailles) on two simple criteria:

1) Attire: Appropriate to the traditional poultry/country theme (50%)

2) Personality, poise, and speaking ability (50%)

Master of Ceremonies Ken DeMange welcomed each contestant to the stage by asking what they would like to be when they grow up and asking details about their poultry days attire. Then a randomly-drawn question was presented to the contestants upon which they would be judged. Questions ranged from, “What is your favorite color and why?” to “What is your favorite thing about Poultry Days?” After answering, the young ladies would approach the judges’ table, smile and twirl, showing off their creative, and often homemade, poultry-themed outfits.

Contestant number 16, Evelyn Sutter, won over the MC, the audience, and the judges with her bubbly and confident personality. Sutter was so eager to enter the judging area, she nearly left her Miss Chick escort in the dust. MC DeMange said to the Miss Chick finalist, “She’s pulling you along—just get roller skates next time!” Sutter sat down with DeMange on the stage, addressing him eye to eye. Sutter proudly announced that she is seven, and when asked about her outfit, Sutter said, “My mom did not make it; she bought it.” Sutter said her future plans include becoming an actress or an art teacher because she loves to make people happy, loves her mom (Versailles Elementary and Middle School art teacher, Sarah Sutter) the most, and loves doing art. Her beaming smile revealed nothing but enthusiasm during her moments in the spotlight, and she declared she was excited about her contest question, which was: “What’s your favorite thing about summer?” Sutter didn’t have to ponder long before answering with gusto, “My favorite thing about summer is going off the diving board—at Greenville. I love the Greenville Pool diving board!”

Evelyn Sutter (7), daughter of Matthew and Sarah Sutter of Greenville, was named the 39th Little Miss Poultry Days, with first runner-up Alexis Kiehl (6) and second runner-up Scarlet Barton (7), both of Versailles, rounding out the court.

Little Miss Poultry Days 2023 contestants included: Colleen Selhorst (7) of North Star; Emberlee Keenan (7) of New Weston; Kami Bergman (6) of North Star; Louisa Cox (5) of Bradford; Elowise Strawser (6) of Versailles; Scarlet Barton (7) of Versailles; Kaisa Cohoon (5) of Brighton, Mich.; Sawyer Schmitmeyer (6) of Versailles; Claire DeLand (6) of North Star; Alexis Kiehl (6) of Versailles; Elinor Brunswick (6) of Versailles; Luella Selhorst (6) of Yorkshire; Hattie Hein (5) of Statesboro, Ga.; Erin Pitsenbarger (5) of Versailles; Charlotte Knapke (5) of Versailles; Evelyn Sutter (7) of Greenville; Harper Ahrens (6) of Versailles; Avery Winner (5) of Versailles; Bernadette Schmitmeyer (6) of Versailles; and Lillian Pitsenbarger (5) of Versailles.

All participants received a flower and trophy the night of the event and winners also received a monetary award: Little Miss Poultry Days 2023 $100, first runner-up $75, and second runner-up $50. All three winners were eligible to ride in Poultry Days parade on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.

Reach Daily Advocate Reporter Dawn Hatfield at [email protected] or 937-569-0066.