Miss Kosciusko Enjoying Time At FairDenae Pyle spent 10 years at the Kosciusko County Fair while in 4-H.
Now she's getting a look at the fair from a whole new perspective.
Pyle competed in the Miss Kosciusko Pageant last year and was the first runner-up.
She decided to give it another go this year and it paid off.
On July 2 at the Shrine Building, she was crowned Miss Kosciusko.
"I'm busy but it's been a lot of fun," said Pyle. "I've been able to do a lot of things I wouldn't have otherwise."
While at the fair, Pyle has been busy attending events, like serving as the emcee for all the kiddie pageants."I've had fun going to all the events and doing things like the pageants where I get to interact with all the little kids," she said.
Next up for Pyle is a trip to the Indiana State Fair where she will compete for the crown of Miss Indiana State Fair.
If she were to win that, she'd spend the summer of 2010 traveling to all the county fairs in the state.
While being in pageants may be a fairly new thing for her, Pyle has been going to the fair for a long time.
Pyle spent 10 years in 4-H showing animals and taking part in the fashion revue.
"I've shown pigs and steer, dairy calf feeder steers," said Pyle. "I've done sewing and cooking. I just wanted to try a lot of different things and if I liked it I'd do it again and if not I wouldn't."
Pyle won grand reserve champion her first year with dairy calf feeder steers. She said that prize was made more special by the fact the steer was owned by a grandfather that passed away not too long after that.
While at the fair this week, Pyle said she hopes she's serving as a bridge between the 4-H activities and everything else that goes on in the fair.
While donning her crown and Miss Kosciusko sash, she was getting ready to help Gabby Silor with a speech. Silor was a runner-up in this year's Miss Kosciusko pageant and is in her last year showing horses in 4-H.
After that she was off to a truck pull.
While Pyle got into pageants for scholarship money, the sophomore-to-be at Purdue has gotten more than that out of the experience.
"The best part is meeting so many people," said Pyle. "I met a really awesome lady who volunteers with kids. She never had any kids of her own and she told me that it was her way to give back."
Pyle has been using her skills as a hospitality and tourism management major this week.
"Sometimes I'll be going around talking to people and picking up their plates for them," said Pyle. "They're like, 'you don't have to do that'. I guess I can't help it."
Pyle is a graduate of Manchester High School and lives in rural Silver Lake with her parents, Mike and Cindy.
