Makenzi Marek stands with her trophy, sash, bouquet and crown after being named the 2017 Washington County Fair Queen. Photo by Sam McIntosh – KCII News

Three weeks ago, standing on the stage with bright lights shining down Makenzi Marek heard her name called and she received a crown as she was selected the 2017 Washington County Fair Queen, now she’s preparing for the State Fair Queen contest.

Marek said she enjoyed serving as queen at the fair by helping with shows, handing out ribbons, and emceeing her favorite – the cutie contest. In the last few weeks Marek says her family has been helping her prepare for the Des Moines stage, especially the interview questions. With a chuckl she says there’s one person in particular, “My grandma is very consistent at asking questions. And as soon as we go through the whole list she’s like, ‘All right, let’s go again.’ So we go through it all again. So she’s very helpful.” The Iowa State Fair begins Thursday and the 2017 State Fair Queen will be crowned Saturday.