Fairest Of The Judges

Yesterday I had an experience that was a first. I was selected (ok, by default, Kelli didn't want to go) to be on the judging panel of the POLK COUNTY (state) FAIR "FAIREST OF THE FAIR" competition.
This my dear blogging family, was an extrovert's dream of heaven.
There were six contestants who ranged from age 17 to 20, all of whom have practically grown up at the fair. (or should I say FAIR)
I can't tell you the names of the girls, lest my descriptions of them shine light on who we chose for the first place position, and we have been sworn to secrecy, but here is a line-up of personalities:
Short and Sassy
Dairygirl
Writer
Sweetness
No Gray Area (and not afraid to tell you)
Cheerleader Sorority Girl

Here are the Judges
Me
Stodgy sweet old man
Restaurant-Owning Fun Lady

We started with the group discussion time--45 minutes that absolutely flew by. Honestly, I was kinda worried, thinking I was going to have to be with these "girls-I-did-not-know" for such a long time. Time flew. We had a lot of fun, we asked some hard questions, and the girls were all smart and well-spoken. Then came the one-on-one interviews. Each of us judges had 15 minutes with each girl. During the group time, I wrote one or two things about each girl that I used in the interview. Some were questions, some were kudos, and some were helps. One girl for example, looked everywhere but my eyes when answering questions. I had her work on her eye-contact. One girl when answering a question in the group time, started to cry, and then apologized for it. She was telling of her friend's mom who was so strong when her daughter (the girl's friend) died in an auto accident. While listening to the story all of our eyes were tearing up. I told her never to be embarassed (I could learn a thing or two from me) for her emotions, especially when talking about something so difficult.
So you get an idea of what went on there.
Fifteen minutes was a looong time for some, and not nearly enough for others. One girl was so much like Hannah, if I were a purse-carryin' girl, she would have been in it on my way home. She was so sure of herself, it was a joy to ask her questions. I knew I would get an honest answer, no matter if I liked it or not. Sweet. My last question to her was whether she liked high school (knowing the answer already). "I absolutely hated it!" was her response. Natch. How many girls who know their mind, and have a strong sense of right and wrong are popular in high school? Not many.
We wrapped up the evening with dinner and a short speech by all the girls, followed by their go at a radio spot that will be aired should they win.
I hope they call me for next year, what an awesome experience.
I apologize for the length of this blog, I hope you all stayed with me!