Toddlers in Tiaras, County Fair Style

Wednesday night's Little Miss/Little Mister competition at the St. Charles County Fair brought out 49 contestants, a record for the pageant, said organizer Annie Schulte.

"I think we had some no-shows because of the heat, but I'm very pleased with the turnout. It was amazing that many kids came out," she said.

Judge Shanna Palans agreed. "They don't care how hot it is. They just have fun."

Schulte was quick to praise her assistant, Mary Klippel, whom Schulte called "our Price Waterhouse." 

"She's been with me since the very beginning," Schulte said, and added that it was their fourth year producing the pageant.

There is no entry fee for the event, which judges children as "kids next door," and considers poise, personality and appropriate dress. Hairpieces, make-up and glitter are not allowed. The age groups are:

• Teeny Miss and Mister St. Charles County (25 months to 3 years), won by Skylee Ann and Hayden Anthony
• Tiny Miss and Mister St. Charles County (4 and 5 year olds), won by Hayley Mae and Logan
• Little Miss and Mister St. Charles County (6 and 7 year olds), won by Emma Catherine and John David

Contestants appeared first in their "Sunday best," and then in a second round with a themed costume. Since two sets of forms went out by mistake, the themes were "Summer Fun" and "Down on the Farm."

What's the strangest thing that's occurred during a pageant? "Last year someone used their infant baby brother as a prop," Schulte said. "So we had to write in the rules this year—no live animals or siblings."

During a break in the pageant, Schulte asked for more volunteers for next year's show, and asked about interest in a division for older girls. There seems to be no question that the pageant will be back.

"Definitely," Shulte said. "It's a big draw."

Editor's Note: Patch did its best to photograph as many of the contestants as possible, but noise from the cooling fans and the sheer number of contestants made it difficult to record all the names and information. If you can help with a child's name, please send the information to Tamara.Duncan@Patch.com and we'll update the photo captions.