2017 GJCF Princess title goes to Von Behren

     “Oh yeah, I was a fairgoer every day,” said Lauren Von Behren, 2017 Great Jones County Fair Princess.

     Von Behren, of Anamosa, was crowned just before a rainstorm blew through the fairgrounds on Tuesday, July 18 on the stage.

     “This has been a great learning experience,” she said.

     “I was shocked and super excited,” said Von Behren of hearing her name announced. “There were a lot of great girls.”

     Von Behren shared that she was encouraged to run for Fair Queen by former GJCF Miss Congeniality winners Becca Ahrendsen and Addy Campbell.

     “I learned how to be more confident,” she said of the interview and pageant process. “I used to get so nervous in front of large crowds.”

     Von Behren said standing on the fair stage the night of the coronation was actually not as nerve-racking as she thought it would be.

     “I was not nervous at all,” she said.

     “A lot goes into this fair,” offered Von Behren. As part of being crowned Fair Princess, Von Behren and 2017 GJCF Queen Shay Stephen sit in the daily noon fair board meetings during the week of the fair.

     “We get to see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes,” she said. “Many people would never know what happens. They seem to have everything under control.”

     During the first fair board meeting of fair week, Von Behren said they introduced themselves to the board members and got to meet those who work tirelessly to pull of a successful fair every year.

     Von Behren’s favorite activity of the week was handing out ribbons to the livestock exhibitors.

     “I was with Shay (Stephen) most of the time,” she said of shared duties. “We also got to greet people as they came in the gate, talk to them a bit and welcome them to the fair.”

     This is Von Behren’s ninth year taking part in the GJCF as a member of the Olin 4-H Club. During her first two years of high school in Anamosa, Von Behren was also part of the Anamosa FFA Club.

     This year she showed a steer in the Beef Show and submitted several F.A.S.T. projects. One of her projects for Citizenship earned Von Behren a purple State Fair ribbon. The project involved an in-depth explanation of her mission trip to Haiti in 2016.

     “I talked about all of the planning that was involved (in the trip), how we raised the money to go, and a day-by-day account of what we did,” she said.

     The project also included many of Von Behren’s favorite memories from the trip.

     In addition to meeting the fair entertainment acts as fair royalty, Von Behren said she and Stephen also got track tickets for every concert, too.

     Von Behren said she encourages other young girls, ages 16-21, to run for Fair Queen next year.

     “It’s a great learning experience,” she said. “I’ve grown a lot; I’m more outgoing.

     “It’s a lot of fun, and more people should run,” added Von Behren. “I plan to come back next year and have more fun!”

     Von Behren is the daughter of Jeff and Linda Von Behren of Olin. This fall, she will attend the University of Northern Iowa to major in biology and minor in Spanish.