Miss Shanghai Parade Taylor Miller; Miss Putnam County Fair Kayleigh Hayzlett; Miss Hurricane Independence Day Alissa Grady.

The WV Association of Fairs and Festivals Pageant is a special event in that every one of the 84 contestants was the winner of a sanctioned pageant during 2022.

There were three qualifying pageants held in Putnam County — WV Cupcake Festival Pageant, Miss Putnam County Fair Queen Pageant, and Miss Hurricane Independence Day Pageant. The WV Cupcake Festival is among the pageants which are open to contestants statewide. WV Cupcake Festival Queen Bridgette Altizer, a native of Frankford in Greenbrier County, was crowned Miss WV Association of Fairs and Festivals Queen by Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt and will reign over the West Virginia State Fair. Miss Altizer’s duties as Queen will be to promote the WV Department of Agriculture and its programs.

The 2023 Fairs and Festivals Pageant was a three day event held January 12-14 with activities conducted at the Marriott and the Charleston Civic Center. Contestants registered on Thursday. The judges conducted personal interviews on Friday and Saturday. Also on Saturday, each contestant was given 30 seconds to promote the event which she represented. The Evening Gown competition followed. The field of competitors was narrowed to 15 after the judges tallied points for interviews, event promotion, and evening gown competition.

In addition to pageant winner Bridgette Altizer, Miss Putnam County Fair Kayleigh Hayzlett of Eleanor and Miss Shanghai Parade Taylor Miller of Winfield finished in the top 15 and qualified for the final phase of competition, the on-stage interview. The judges then named Miss Altizer as the Fairs and Festivals Queen.

The Shanghai Parade which Miss Miller represented is a New Years parade which is held in Lewisburg.

Prior to the on-stage interviews, Krista Call Snodgrass was inducted into the Fairs and Festivals Hall of Fame. Snodgrass has served as the Association of Fairs and Festivals’ secretary for ten years and has been instrumental in making the Association’s convention successful year after year. Snodgrass also serves as president of the Putnam County Fair.