Four young ladies vying for the crown of 2023 Allamakee County Fair Queen under new preparation format this year
July 18 coronation event and Youth Showcase will kick off the 170th Allamakee County Fair
Four Allamakee County young ladies are vying for the title of 2023 Allamakee County Fair Queen. Those four candidates seeking this year’s crown include Natalie Byrnes of Waukon, Kiele Eberling of Postville, and Mallory Mohn and Riley Troendle, both of Lansing.
This year’s Fair Queen experience will be a bit different in regard to preparation and pre-coronation events for the young ladies involved. The overall end result, however, will be very similar to year’s past, where the Fair Queen Coronation will take place Tuesday, July 18 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion following the Youth Showcase that starts at 7 p.m. The coronation and Youth Showcase event is free to attend and open to the public.
NEW PREPARATION AND PAMPERING
According to this year’s new Allamakee County Fair Queen Contest coordinator Diana Davison, the preparation and pre-coronation portion of the contest will be held privately at Coffee on the River in Lansing, where the candidates will be pampered by Stylish Buffalo Salon with Beth Wilson doing their hair and Peyton Verthein with Bright Side Beauty doing their make-up. Davison said the girls will then do a 15-minute interview with the three contest judges, and then a group interview with the four candidates and three judges.
“The biggest reason for this year’s change is we have so many young women in our county with so much potential, they deserve a full fair queen experience,” Davison explained. “Last year, I briefly chatted with some fair board members and said I would be willing to take on the role as fair queen coordinator, and this year we made it happen. I personally have photographed a handful of pageants and met with other coordinators and past Iowa State Fair Queens on how I could level up our experience. I was given so many great ideas and am starting to include them this year.”
The girls will then get dressed into their evening gowns for professional photographs before traveling to Waukon for the coronation event and Youth Showcase mentioned above. Following the Youth Showcase portion of that July 18 event, the candidates will then provide a brief on-stage introduction of themselves before answering a question they randomly draw. Following that, an intermission will be held, overall scores will be tallied and then the Allamakee County Fair Queen and Princess will be crowned.
“I am very excited to see all four of our candidates succeed this year, and who they recruit next year,” Davison shared. “My biggest goal is to get the girls involved this year advocating for themselves, Allamakee County, the Fair and all we have to offer. I want them to strive to be more than just a girl in a crown and sash; to be someone everyone wants to look up to for inspiration, advice, and joy.”
Another new aspect of this year’s Fair Queen participation is a pie auction. Each candidate will provide a pie to be auctioned off during the Wednesday, July 19 Truck and Tractor Pull event as part of this year’s grandstand entertainment at the Fair. The funds raised from that pie auction event will be going to the 2024 Fair Improvements project.
Photos and biographies of the candidates seeking this year’s Allamakee County Fair Queen crown accompany this article.
Natalie Byrnes
Natalie Byrnes is the 17-year-old daughter of Dan and Traci Byrnes of rural Waukon. She will be a senior at Waukon High School when the school year begins this fall.
Natalie feels her diverse involvement in school actives allows her to make connections with many different individuals to better both her school and community as a whole. As part of her school experience, she has been a member of the Waukon High School cross country team. She also feels she shows her passion for the health and well-being of others through her service as the high school representative on the Allamakee Community School District Health and Wellness Committee, which provides her with the opportunity to advocate for the healthy lifestyles of her peers and create valuable connections with administration and fellow students. Natalie also serves as a member of the Allamakee Substance Abuse and Prevention (ASAP) Board as a Waukon High school representative, providing her another unique opportunity to connect with other high school and middle school students from each school in the county as well as with local law enforcement and officials to combat substance abuse issues across the county.
Both 4-H and FFA have played integral roles in Natalie’s growth and development throughout her time in each of the organizations. Being a 4-H member since fourth grade, she has been involved in community service projects and inspired by older members of her club who held leadership roles. That inspiration led her to her current club office of president of the River Valley Panthers 4-H club for a second consecutive year, and she has also served as secretary, treasurer, reporter and historian for her club, allowing her the opportunity to lead younger members and ensure they have positive and enriching experiences within the organization.
Beyond her own club, Natalie has also served as vice president of the 4-H County Council and continues to be an active member of that Council. She is also currently serving as a Youth Development Committee County Council representative and has held this position for two years. Her service and leadership has carried over into her FFA membership as well, where she has served as the chapter reporter and is currently serving as the Little Switzerland FFA Chapter President. She further displays her devotion and passion for serving others through her faith, as she is an active member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon and participates in many events within the parish throughout the year.
The dedication and experience that have vaulted her to her leadership roles in the many activities she is involved in have also resulted in a variety of honors and recognition. Natalie is a current member of the Waukon High School National Honor Society and has received multiple academic letters throughout her high school career. In FFA she has earned an Outstanding Service Award and Chapter Star in Agricultural Placement at the local level, her Supervised Agriculture Experience was named the 2023 State Star in Agricultural Placement, and she has also been awarded an Iowa FFA degree. She was also selected by the Allamakee County Cattleman’s Association as a Beef Princess for the 2022-2023 year.
In her free time Natalie enjoys spending time working on her family’s beef farm. She also enjoys running, gardening, reading, baking and sewing. Following her graduation from Waukon High School and from Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) with an Associates Degree in 2024, Natalie plans to attend a yet undecided university for a Cardiovascular Perfusion Program.
Kiele Eberling
Kiele Eberling, age 16, is the daughter of Kevin and Donna Eberling of rural Postville. She will be a junior at Decorah High School this fall when school returns to session. In school she has participated in basketball, volleyball, and both Winter Guard and Color Guard, where she will be serving as captain for the 2023-2024 school year.
Through her involvement with 4-H, Kiele has served as treasurer of her 4-H club during the 2021-2022 4-H year, as well as being club photographer for 2022-2023 and serving on the Allamakee County 4-H County Council for 2023-2024. She is also involved in FFA, serving on the Growing Leaders Committee and being recognized with the FFA Honor Roll Scholarship.
In her spare time, Kiele enjoys showing dairy cattle, photography, camping, playing basketball and volleyball, and reading. After graduating from high school in 2025, Kiele plans to take a gap year to obtain her FFA American Degree. She also plans to continue showing dairy cattle at local, state and national shows while also remaining active in her 4-H club, the Allamakee 4-H County Council and FFA. After taking that year off following high school, Kiele has plans to pursue a Veterinary Technician degree at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) and then transfer to Iowa State University to obtain an Associate in Veterinary Technology degree. She plans on staying on the family farm and working locally after graduating from Iowa State University.
Mallory Mohn
Seventeen-year-old Mallory Mohn is the daughter of Clint and Noelle Mohn of Lansing. When school resumes this fall, she will be a senior at Kee High School in Lansing, where she has achieved such recognition as National Honor Society and Quill and Scroll. While in school Mallory has also participated in volleyball, basketball and track, and has served on the Kee High School Student Council and been involved with the Kee High School Yearbook. Her involvement in FFA has led her to such leadership roles as vice president for 2023-2024 and reporter for 2022-2023.
Mallory served as the 2022-2023 Allamakee County Beef Queen and is a member of the Allamakee County Cattleman’s Association. She works at Manning Dairy in rural Lansing, at S&S Houseboats and at the Lansing swimming pool, and in her spare time she enjoys running and reading. As her senior year of high school begins this fall, Mallory expects to fill her time with participating in volleyball, basketball and track, and volunteering in activities through the school, while also working on college classes through NICC and continuing her employment at Manning Dairy in the mornings before school. Following graduation next spring, she plans on attending Iowa State University for four years to achieve her bachelor degree in Animal Science, and then has intentions of applying for Veterinary School at Iowa State to pursue her goal of becoming a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Riley Troendle
Riley Troendle is 16 years old, and she is the daughter of Matt and Megan Troendle of rural Lansing. She will be a senior at Kee High School in Lansing when she returns to the classroom this fall.
Riley’s broad array of activities during her high school experience include being involved in choir and band, claiming the prestige of being the only girl in her class to participate in both and serving as drum major for the band. She also participates in both Large Group and Individual Speech competitions, earning a Division I rating at the State level of competition this year in both and, again, claiming the honor of being the only young lady in her class to participate in those activities.
Her further involvement at high school also has her participating in volleyball and Spanish Club, as well as serving as secretary and treasurer for the Lansing FFA Chapter at Kee High School. Her involvement in Kee’s Drama department landed her a large role in this past school year’s spring stage production, once again being noted as the only girl in her class to be involved at that level.
Riley was selected into membership for National Honor Society. She also serves on the Kee High School Student Council, where she was trusted by her class advisor to plan Homecoming activities for the next year in the advisor’s long-term absence. Outside of school, Riley remains heavily involved, serving as a second grade Religion teacher for her church. She also remains involved in community service trash clean-up days, including the Adopt-A-Highway program through Lansing FFA, as well as cleaning up the roadway near her own home. Riley also works as a cook at Thornton Manor in Lansing.
Among honors and recognition earned, Riley was elected as Class Treasurer by her peers and has also been awarded the Presidential Scholarship at Drake University in Des Moines. Riley has attended both the Iowa Youth Tour and the Iowa Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership Program in 2022, as well as participating in Kee High School’s Spanish Club trip to Spain and France in 2023.
Riley has also been invited to attend the Tippie Gateway at the University of Iowa yet this year, as well as the Civics Leadership Program at Drake University later this year as well. Upon graduating from high school, she will also have completed a college-level associate degree.
In whatever free time she can find, Riley enjoys reading, hunting, helping out on the family farm, crocheting and going on walks. She also likes to play with her dogs and bottle calf.
After graduating high school in the spring of next year with both her high school diploma and an associate degree worth two years of undergraduate education, Riley plans to attend Drake University to complete her bachelor degree in order to pursue acceptance into law school. Once she earns that law degree, she isn’t quite sure just yet whether she will stay living around Des Moines or return to Lansing right away.
After paying off her student loans, she hopes to then open her own law firm with a goal of continuing her involvement in the agricultural industry. She has hopes of owning her own small farm, like the one she has grown up on, with beef cows and pigs.
