Valparaiso teen crowned Porter County Fair Queen
Post-Tribune staff report July 21, 2012 9:16PM
Katelyn Marak answers the question portion of the Porter County Fair Queen competition Friday evening at the grandstand. The fair pageant returned the Grandstand stage for the first time since 2000. | Jeffrey D. Nicholls~Sun-Times Media
Updated: August 23, 2012 11:03AM
Katelyn Marak was named Porter County Pageant Queen on Friday, besting 16 other girls; she also was crowned Miss Photogenic.
Marak, 18, is the daughter of Diane and Stephen Marak of Valparaiso. She plans to attend Valparaiso University to study electrical engineering and prelaw.
“I am extremely proud of her,” Diane Marak said. “She is just a lovely person inside and out. I am very proud of my daughter. She’s a lovely, kind, energetic girl.”
Katelyn Marak won a $600 scholarship and gift cards for her first-place title. For winning Miss Photogenic, she earned $50 and additional gift cards.
Diane Marak said her daughter performed her hobby onstage, completing a herky jump. Katelyn Marak will be a member of Valparaiso University’s cheerleading squad when classes start in the fall.
“She’s very excited about going to college,” Diane Marak said. “She’s a smart little cookie, a bookworm.”
Diane Marak said Katelyn had competed in pageants since she was a child and started because it afforded her the opportunity to dance on stage. Katelyn is now a singer, her mother said.
“She stays busy and out of trouble,” she said.
The girls interviewed with the three judges in private on the day of the pageant, and each girl wore hobbywear, an evening gown and professional wear.
Britta Ringas won first runner-up and Miss Congeniality, resulting in a combined $250 and gift cards. Claire Sands came in second runner-up and won $100.
