Subscribe
Community
Fair royalty named
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by JEFF NEWMAN
Rachel Bell of St. Leonard was named Miss Tranquility for this weekend's Calvert County Fair, and Edward Bryner of Prince Frederick was named Lord Calvert.
|
E-Mail This Article
If last Sunday's Lord Calvert and Miss Tranquility Contest is any indication, tobacco may not be disappearing from the minds of Calvert's youth as quickly as it is from county farms.
When asked by Master of Ceremonies Bill Chambers what, if given the chance to go to the moon, they would place in a time capsule to remind future generations of Calvert County, five of the 13 contestants picked tobacco leaves.
But it was two Calvert High School seniors — Edward Bryner of Prince Frederick and Rachel Bell of St. Leonard — who gave more personal answers that took home the medal and tiara.
"They were all the cream of the crop," said Patty Kay, chairperson of the contest's committee. "We were fortunate to have contestants like that."
Each contestant was judged based on their school transcript, an essay about how their lives would be changed if they were suddenly "unplugged" from technology, a personal interview, a quick speech delivered during the contest and their answer to the time-capsule question.
"I thoroughly enjoyed it," said Melinda Kay, one of the contest's three judges and Patty's sister. "We were so impressed with the young people — their skills, their confidence, their demeanor and their accomplishments. We all said we'd do it again in a second."
Bryner, who beat out two competitors and was named Lord Calvert 2009, said he'd put his Boy Scouts Troop 430 flag in the capsule. He was awarded a plaque, medal and $1,250 scholarship that he hopes to put towards an engineering degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Bell, also a student at Calvert, was name Miss Tranquility over nine other contestants after saying she'd place a photograph of various county families, representing what she described as Calvert's "tight knit" community.
Bell was given a plaque and tiara in addition to a $1,250 scholarship. A volunteer at Calvert Memorial Hospital's physical rehab department for the past two summers, Bell wants to attend Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va., and pursue a career in physical therapy.
"I thought it would be a great opportunity, just getting a chance to represent Calvert County and be a part of some of the other events at the fair," Bell said.
As Lord Calvert and Miss Tranquility, Bryner and Bell will represent the county at the fair and future county and state events, such as the Patuxent River Appreciation Days (PRAD) and Christmas parades, Kay said.
When asked after the contest what he hoped to accomplish as Lord Calvert, Bryner pointed to a couple nearby children and said "to hopefully lead them down the right path towards higher education."
Bryner and Bell were also presented proclamations from the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners by Commissioner Barbara Stinnett.
"We look forward to seeing a lot more out of these young people," Stinnett said.
Charles Cox of the College of Southern Maryland and Megan Wilson of Huntingtown High School were named first runners-up in the Lord Calvert and Miss Tranquility contests, respectively, and each received a plaque and $200 savings bond. Patrick Miller of Northern High School and Angela Farr of Northern High School were named second runners-up and each awarded a plaque and $100 savings bond.
