News

Miller siblings fair king and queen

By JOHN EBY / Cassopolis Vigilant
Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:25 AM EDT

CASSOPOLIS - Cass County Fair's 14th annual pageant missed the boat Saturday night with its "Buried Treasures" pirate theme.

The traditional "It's a family fair" slogan would have been sufficient with Beth Miller and her younger brother Kyle selected queen and king for the 157th fair opening Sunday, and Dowagiac's Bundy twins finishing first and second for prince.

Beth, 18, a member of Country Trailblazers 4-H, will be a freshman at Grand Valley State University studying exercise science to become a physical therapist.

Kyle, 16, will be a junior at Niles High School. Their parents are Herb and Joyce Miller.

After high school, Kyle sees himself going to Michigan State University to study beef or swine production so he can "come home and take care of the family farm."

The king and queen have twin princes of their own waiting in the wings.

Their younger brothers will be in seventh grade.

Fair Prince is Blake Bundy, with twin brother B.J. as first runner-up over Kincheloe Elementary School fifth grader Ethan Wagner and Cassopolis fifth grader Austin Green.

Fair Princess Jennifer Stickle, 12, is a seventh grader at Ross Beatty Junior-Senior High School in Cassopolis.

"It was my idea to go out," Jennifer said. "I saw it in the fair book and thought it looked really interesting. I show rabbits and I was supposed to be showing pigs, but they didn't make weight. I also do still exhibits - leathercraft, cake decorating, candlemaking. I have one sister."

Runner-up Emily Archer, 13, is an eighth grader at Ring Lardner in Niles.

Also competing for Princess were Cassopolis seventh grader Ashley Ramsey, Cassopolis fifth grader Samantha Miller, DMS eighth grader Easton Preston (who won the award for lining up the most sponsors), fifth grader Nikita Mehaney and Kincheloe fifth grader Elizabeth Stockwell.

Queen runner-up Brianna Fitzsimmons will be a junior at Edwardsburg High School.

King runner-up Austin Francis, 19, will be a sophomore at Southwestern Michigan College.

King candidates also included Anthony Colcord, who attends Lake Michigan College, and Agust Olafsson, a Cassopolis junior.

Queen candidates also included SMC freshman Stephanie Luke from Dowagiac, SMC freshman Shari McDonald, SMC freshman Chelsey Preston from Dowagiac, SMC student Kristin Asmus and Western Michigan University sophomore Calie Daniels from Dowagiac.

The "Hidden Treasures" pageant was organized by sisters Beth Klug (king and queen) and Nicole Linton (prince and princess), with their siblings Ashley and Adam Smego as mistress and master of ceremonies.

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