SMITHFIELD—A Longwood University sophomore from Windsor has won the title of Miss Isle of Wight County Fair Queen.

Whitney Beale, 19, daughter of Henry and Karen Beale, was awarded the crown at the annual pageant Saturday.

The Smithfield High School Auditorium stage was the setting, where 44 contestants, including Beale, waited in the wings in anxious anticipation.

Finally, the sportswear segment of the pageant over, the evening gown competition began. Each contestant was escorted either by her father, a brother or a male friend.

Dressed in their finest and prettiest gowns, the girls, whose ages ranged from 3 to 22, walked to center stage, a few steps to the left and then back to their escorts, who walked them off stage.

The tiny beauties in the Wee and Little Miss competitions smiled, pranced and twirled to their hearts content, while their escorts stood nervously by.

In the question-and-answer segment, the four contestants competing for the Miss Isle of Wight County Fair Queen title all declared how happy they would be to represent Isle of Wight County.

Questions like “What would you do to fight against crime and substance abuse?” were answered in positive ways by the contestants, who have all either graduated college or are presently attending one.

Following a rousing dance by Jessica Cannavo and her Aftershock Dance Team from Windsor School of Dance, all contestants were brought back on stage for selection of the winners.

Crystal Kitchen took first runner-up in the Miss Isle of Wight County Fair contest, the only category in which there was a runner-up.

Prior to winning the top award next, Beale also received the Miss Congeniality Award.

Crowns were awarded in five other categories, starting with Teen Miss Isle of Wight County Fair Christine Joslin.

She is the 15-year-old daughter of Michael and Carol Joslin of Smithfield and a sophomore privately schooled in Smithfield.

Winner of the Preteen Miss Isle of Wight County Fair is Jacqueleen Morin. The 14-year-old Smithfield resident is the daughter of Mark and Judy Morin and is a sophomore at Smithfield High School.

In the younger category, the three winners are all from Windsor.

Junior Miss Isle of Wight County Fair is Brittany Trump, 9, whose parents are Mark and Susan Trump. Brittany attends fifth grade at Windsor Elementary School.

MaKayla Burks, 7, the daughter of Hershel and Rebecca Burks is Little Miss Isle of Wight County Fair. She is a third-grader at Windsor Elementary School.

Wee Miss Isle of Wight County Fair is Julie Lynn Williamson, 4. The daughter of Randy Creekmore and Jody L. Smith, she attends Nansemond-Suffolk Academy.

The annual pageant is sponsored by the Isle of Wight Parks and Recreation Department. The contestants vying for the six crowns came from both ends of the county, said Rhonda Demsko, who with Jessica Cannavo directed the event.

Demsko, the former owner of Windsor School of Dance, initiated the event 10 years ago. She and Cannavo, the school’s new owner, used the Windsor studio, as they have done for several years, for the contestants to practice.

The winners of the six titles will represent the county in more than 60 different events, Demsko said. From charity events to parades, visits from Santa, and Fourth of July celebrations, the girls are always there.

“They even ring the bell for the Salvation Army,” she said.

In addition to their crowns and trophies, winners in the six categories received monetary awards, as well, Demsko went on.

Miss Isle of Wight County Fair received a check for $500, while her runner-up received $200. The top winner also will have her expenses paid when she competes for the Miss Virginia State Fair Queen title in January.

Teen Miss Isle of Wight County Fair and Preteen Miss Isle of Wight County Fair were awarded $200 each, while Wee Miss, Little Miss and Junior Miss winners received $50 savings bonds.