Sweet Corn Festival queen candidates practicing for pageant

Staff
Posted 7/26/18

MENDOTA – The 16 Sweet Corn Queen hopefuls have been practicing stage presence and answering impromptu questions with pageant MCs, Don and Karen Goy, in preparation for the Friday, Aug. 10 pageant.

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Sweet Corn Festival queen candidates practicing for pageant

Posted

Three candidates in this year’s Sweet Corn Festival Queen Pageant, left to right, are Morgan Marquis, Marie Barnickel and Emily Sarabia. (Photo courtesy of Setchell Studio)

MENDOTA – The 16 Sweet Corn Queen hopefuls have been practicing stage presence and answering impromptu questions with pageant MCs, Don and Karen Goy, in preparation for the Friday, Aug. 10 pageant.

The girls have also had a make-up presentation and discussion with Linda Swanson, owner of The Head Hunter Salon & Day Spa of Mendota, learning tips on how to look their best for the busy days ahead.

The pageant will begin at 7:30 p.m. on the First State Bank Stage set up on U.S. Route 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.

The Kiwanis Club of Mendota has selected Morgan Marquis as its queen candidate. She is the daughter of Matt and Maurine Marquis of Mendota. Morgan has blue eyes and blonde hair, and stands 5-4.

Morgan is a May graduate of Mendota High School where she was a member of the Student Council. She was selected as an Illinois State Scholar, a member of the Spanish Honor Society and National Honor Society, where she served as co-secretary. She also took part in Academic Challenge, and was a Math Team State Qualifier as well as a WYSE Regional first place in physics. Morgan was a member of Interact, Spanish Club and served as an MHS Pulley Student Mentor.

She was also active in sports while at MHS, playing softball, serving as captain, as well as participating in volleyball and basketball. Morgan was selected to the Big Northern Conference First-Team Softball, the News Tribune All-Area Softball and the News Tribune All-Area Academic Team.

Morgan plans to attend Baylor University in Waco, Texas, this fall. She is seeking a degree in physics/engineering and specializing in pre-medicine.

This summer you will find Morgan working at Rosati’s as a waitress. She is also planning a trip to Texas for college and to visit family. Morgan will be spending time with her family on a summer vacation as well as spending time with her friends before leaving for college.

Morgan likes to play softball and relax by the pool. She enjoys binge watching Netflix and naps. Taking her beautiful dogs on walks, reading and working out are also favorite past times. She is especially interested in traveling, learning new cultures, and meeting new people.

Her plans for the future include graduating from Baylor University with a degree in physics or engineering and then going on to med school. She would like to find herself working on a pediatric floor of a hospital in the future. Morgan says when she gets off work, she will be looking forward to going home to her kids and dogs.

Morgan is very proud of Mendota’s softball team, having won the regional this year for the first time in history.

Emily Sarabia has been selected by the Mendota Lions Club as its candidate for queen. She is the daughter of Gerardo and Maria Sarabia of Mendota. Emily stands 5-5, and has brown hair and brown eyes.

Emily graduated from Mendota High School this May where she was a member of the Student Council. She also played volleyball for two years. While in high school she worked in the principal and business offices for two years.

Emily plans to attend Illinois Valley Community College in the fall seeking her Certified Nursing Assistant Certificate.

This summer you will find her working as a dietary aide at the Mendota Lutheran Home where she serves meals to the residents. She also makes a point of visiting residents before they go to dinner or retire for the night. She will also be swimming and spending time with her friends during the summer. Emily especially likes to be out in nature and take care of animals whenever she can.

Her future plans include getting her CNA at IVCC and then transferring to Illinois State University to get her nursing degree and come back to Mendota to become a nurse at OSF Saint Paul Medical Center or a registered nurse at the Mendota Lutheran Home.

Emily also spends time working with her mom, gathering clothing items from family and friends, and sending them to Mexico with her grandmother, so that she can distribute the clothing to those in need.

The Mendota Rotary Club will be represented by Marie Barnickel in this year’s queen pageant. Marie is the daughter of Gale and Christina Barnickel of Compton. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and stands 5-7.

Marie graduated from Mendota High School in May, where she served as Student Council President. She was also a member of the Yearbook Club and was Senior Editor. Marie was President of Interact and a member of the MHS Band. She was selected to the National Honor Society and served as their vice-president and as a tutor. She played tennis and served as team captain. Marie was a member of FFA and served as their treasurer, secretary and as vice president of that organization. She was also a member of 4-H as their Lee County Lead Ambassador 2017-18, treasurer and president. She was selected to the American Legion Auxiliary Illini Girls State. Marie attended the LYO-ELCA Youth Gathering in 2015 and again in 2018. She has volunteered as a freshman mentor, and a sports mentor and achievement/success mentor to the Mendota grade schools. Marie also worked in the Business Office while at MHS.

Marie plans to attend the University of Wisconsin at Platteville. She plans to take part in the Leadership Living Learning Community. She is seeking a degree in agriculture.

This summer you will find Marie working in her own small mowing business, where she beautifies yards. She also has an animal care service, where she takes care of people’s animals while they are away. She will also be giving tennis lessons and attending the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas. She plans on volunteering through the various activities that she is involved in and to enjoy the last few months with her friends before she goes off to school.

Marie enjoys baking, sewing, playing tennis, having fun with her friends and caring for her dog. She is really interested in agriculture, traveling and community service. She enjoys helping others as well as helping her community grow stronger through various events.

Her goal has been throughout her life to always respect others and ensure they are heard. She hopes to find a career in the agricultural field where she can combine her love for leadership and agriculture.

Marie says throughout her high school career she has been very involved through the Mendota Rotary Club with Interact Club, the youth branch of the Rotary Club, and held the office of Interact President.