Queen contestants practicing for pageant night

Staff
Posted 7/26/17

The 15 Sweet Corn Queen hopefuls have been practicing stage presence and answering impromptu questions in preparation for the Friday, Aug. 11 pageant.

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Queen contestants practicing for pageant night

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Three candidates vying for the title of Sweet Corn Festival Queen, left to right, are Cameron Schumacher, Sam Masini and Valerie Leonard. (Photo courtesy of Setchell Studio)

MENDOTA – The 15 Sweet Corn Queen hopefuls have been practicing stage presence and answering impromptu questions in preparation for the Friday, Aug. 11 pageant.

The pageant will begin at 7:30 p.m. on the First State Bank Stage set up on Rt. 34 downtown. The Mendota Chamber reminds everyone to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy the evening of fun and entertainment “under the stars.”

Now let’s introduce three more of this year’s contestants for Sweet Corn Festival Queen.

Valerie Leonard has been chosen by the Knights of Columbus Council #2090 as their candidate for the pageant. She is the daughter of Marty and Rita Leonard of Mendota, and is 5-3 with light brown hair and green eyes.

Leonard is a 2017 graduate of Mendota High School. She was a member of the MHS Concert and Marching bands, where she served as flute and drum line section leader as well as band librarian. She also took part in Madrigals as a member of the Madrigal Woodwind Choir and as the “Jester.” She was an honor student, achieving the honor roll, and a member of the National Honor Society, and BNC All-Academic Team. She was also a member of the soccer and volleyball teams.

Leonard plans on attending Illinois Valley Community College in the fall, seeking a degree in nutrition and dietetic, specializing in pediatric dental.

This summer you will find her working at DuPont Pioneer in Utica, DE rouging, doing pollen counts and keeping up with the fields. She is also waiting on customers, taking orders and serving at Sip-N-Snack.

Leonard likes being active and playing music. She says she is trying to conquer her fear of bugs, but without much success. She loves her dog and spending time with her. She also likes going on adventures and trying new things.

Her plans for the future are to transfer from IVCC to the University of Illinois at Chicago and major in nutritional science.

Leonard is a fourth generation member of a farming family and her grandmother was also in the Sweet Corn Festival Queen Pageant. She feels closer to her grandmother and family as she takes part in the festival pageant. She feels it is an adventure she should be part of.

The Mendota Community Theatre has selected Sam Masini as its queen candidate.

She is the daughter of Joe and Jenn Masini of Mendota. She has blue eyes and brown hair and stands 5-10.

Masini is a member of the 2017 graduating class of Mendota High School, where she participated in band, serving as Drum Major of the Marching Trojans. She was also a member of the MHS Show Choir and participated in Madrigals and was selected as a member of the All-State Honors Chorus. She was an honors student, achieving the honor roll all eight semesters during her high school career. She also played basketball.

Masini plans on attending Illinois State University in the fall, seeking a degree in music therapy, and eventually would like to get her master’s in social work.

This summer you will find her working at Sullivan’s Foods in Mendota bagging groceries, retrieving carts, and stocking shelves.

Masini enjoys being in musicals and spending time with her friends. She especially loves singing, animals, and bike rides.

In the future she hopes to work with all kinds of people, hopefully in a hospital setting. She eventually would like to start a family and live in a large community.

Masini is very much looking forward to going to college and starting a new chapter in her life.

Cameron Schumacher will represent the Mendota Fire Department in this year’s queen pageant.

She is the daughter of Samantha Schumacher of Mendota. Schumacher has green eyes and blonde hair and is 5-6.

She is a May, 2017 graduate of Mendota High School, where she was a member of the football and basketball cheerleading teams, as well as a member of the girls’ track team. Schumacher was an honor student while at MHS, achieving the honor roll for all eight semesters. She was also named to the BNC All-Academic Team. She worked in the Business and Principal’s Office during her time at MHS.

Schumacher served as Red Cross Blood Donor Ambassador and was a member of the Red Cross Leaders Save Lives Program.

In the fall she plans to attend Illinois Valley Community College, working toward a degree in psychology and eventually specializing in clinical psychology.

This summer you will find Schumacher working at Prescott Bros. in Mendota, working at the front desk, answering phones, and filing paperwork. She will also be attending summer classes at IVCC and taking a mission trip to Red Lake, Minn.

Schumacher enjoys spending time with her family and friends, swimming, going to football games and traveling. She enjoys volunteering for the American Red Cross, hosting blood drives and donating blood. She especially likes watching the Green Bay Packers.

Her plans for the future include getting her Associate of Science at IVCC, and transferring to Bradley University to obtain her bachelor’s degree, and eventually obtaining her master’s degree. She hopes to go on to receive a PhD in Psychology and become a licensed clinical psychologist and work at a residential treatment facility for adolescent girls.

But first before embarking on her educational career, she is excited to get her braces off in January.