Rodeo Royalty

Seven girls will vye for Coffeyville’s Inter-State Fair royalty titles.

Kyndal Benson, Courtney Strickler and Cadence Wheeler will try out for Inter-State Fair Queen; Emma Couch and Liberty Cunningham are in the running for Inter-State Fair Princess, and Oaklee Edmisten and Lilly Kuehn are candidates for Inter-State Fair Little Miss.

The pageant will be held on August 13 and consists of four parts: horsemanship, speech, personal interview, and modeling. The horsemanship component takes place on August 13 at 7:30 am at the rodeo arena at Walter Johnson Park. The speech, modeling and interview will be held August 13 at 10:30 am at the Coffeyville Recreation Center. Both events are free and open to the public.

Three candidates are running for the Inter-State Fair and Rodeo Queen title.

Kyndal Benson is the fifteen-year-old daughter of Melissa Benson and will be a sophomore at Oklahoma Union High School this fall. She enjoys drawing, reading, listening to music, and riding horses. She lives in South Coffeyville, Okla.

Courtney Strickler, who is seventeen and will be a senior at Caney High School, likes to ride and train horses, play volleyball, do gymnastics, and barrel race. She is a member of FFA and hopes to get her masters in equine science. She is the daughter of Troy Strickler and a resident of Caney, Kan.

Cadence Wheeler will be a sophomore at Labette County High School this fall and enjoys riding horses, showing rabbits and poultry, playing softball, and 4-H and school leadership activities. She is the daughter of Clayton Wheeler and Nickie Poe and a resident of Altamont, Kan.

For the princess category, Couch and Cunningham will compete.

Emma Couch, the eleven-year-old daughter of B.J. Couch and Chris Couch, loves rodeos, softball, basketball, 4-H, and showing cattle and goats. She will be a sixth grade student at Oklahoma Union Middle School and would like to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Couch lives in Nowata, Okla.

Liberty Cunningham will be a second grader at Rockville Elementary School in Louisburg, Kan., where she lives. The daughter of Kara Cunningham and Todd Cunningham, she competes in Little Britches Rodeos and at the American Royal Youth Invitational Rodeo, is a dancer, and has volunteered with childhood cancer organizations. She is seven years old.

Two girls are running for the Inter-State Fair and Rodeo Little Miss title.

Oaklee Edmisten, a resident of Nowata, Okla., will be a first grade student at Oklahoma Union Elementary School. She loves playdays, tee-ball, and riding her horse Blue. When she grows up, she’d like to be Miss Rodeo Oklahoma. She is the daughter of Drew and Cassie Swan and Derek Edmisten.

Lilly Kuehn, the daughter of Derrick and Kristen Kuehn, is six years old and will be a first grader at Oklahoma Union Elementary School. She loves riding horses, playdays, playing tee-ball, singing and cheerleading. She wants to be a barrel racer and trick rider when she grows up. She lives in South Coffeyville, Oklahoma.

 

The winners of each category will be announced during the rodeo on August 17. The 2019 Inter-State Fair and Rodeo queen will receive a custom headstall and breast collar set made by Yocham’s Custom Leather, a custom belt buckle, photo shoot with Kim Jones Photography, a Mary Kay gift basket, traveling crown, and other prizes. The queen’s gifts are valued at $600. The Inter-State Fair and Rodeo Princess prize package is valued at $500 and includes a saddle pad with custom plates by Yocham’s Custom Leather, a custom belt buckle, a photo shoot with Kim Jones Photography, and other prizes. The Inter-State Fair and Rodeo Little Miss prize package includes a custom bronco halter made by Yocham’s Custom Leather, belt buckle, photo shoot with Kim Jones Photography, and other prizes. All of the buckles are custom made by Corriente Buckle Co.

The 2018 queen is Emily Swiger, the daughter of Brian and Carol Swiger of Coffeyville.

The 2018 princess is Emery Keene, the daughter of Jim and Betsy Keene of Woodward, Okla.

Coordinator of the pageant is Kristen Kuehn. Sponsors of the pageant are Hayes Heat and Air, 3B Landwork, First Neodesha Bank, Caney Agri-Service, Anderson Processing, Paradise Hair and Tanning, Kim Jones Photography, Cindy Folk, Hillside Christian Church, Christian Women’s Trail Riders and Rocking K Ranch.