Miss Rodeo Aberdeen Queen Pageant set for Aug. 10

The 8th annual Miss Rodeo Aberdeen Queen Pageant will be held August 10. Horsemanship will begin at 9 a.m. at Horseshoe Stables, 38548 135th Street, with interviews, style show, speech competition, and coronation to follow starting at 1 p.m. at the Eagles Club. All events are free and open to the public. The new Miss Rodeo Aberdeen will represent Aberdeen at bull riding and rodeo competitions across the state and will advance to the Miss Rodeo South Dakota pageant held in Belle Fourche, S.D. The new Miss Rodeo South Dakota will advance to the Miss Rodeo America competition in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The reigning Miss Rodeo South Dakota 2014 is Melynda Sletten of Aberdeen. The reigning Miss Rodeo Aberdeen is Samantha Fehr from Aberdeen, and the reigning Jr. Miss Rodeo Aberdeen is Shelby Riggs of Mitchell.

In addition to the title, the new queen holders win a Crown, Banner, Chaps, Buckle and more. Contestants are judged equally in three categories: appearance, personality, and horsemanship. The scores from the contestant’s speech presentation, photogenic judging, interviews, and modeling are also included. Jr Queen ages are from 12-16 and Senior Queen ages are from 17-25.