Photo by Steve Ognibene
For nine years, Gabriella Zocco has been inching her way toward the title of Genesee County Fair queen, and she finally earned it late Sunday afternoon during a second round of the annual pageant that included crowning festivities.
The pageant has several categories, including Little Miss for the youngest ones. Then they move up to Miss, Duchess, Princess, Grand Princess and Queen.
“I started as a Little Miss, and I came back every year I could until I was able to be queen. So this is like a huge deal for me,” the 17-year-old said after winners were announced at the yellow entertainment tent. “And I'm really proud of myself for being able to accomplish this. My future goal is, I want to go to college and I want to major in meteorology and have a minor in foreign studies and journalism.”
She would like to be a weather person on the news one day and be that go-to person forecasting the rainy and sunny days and those nasty tropical and winter storms that roll into folks’ hometowns.
She said participating in the fair queen pageant has helped her bond with people and given her skills to use as she heads beyond high school at Our Lady of Mercy.
“I’d say the most rewarding part is finding myself because every year I learned a new thing about myself, and I learned about other people too, and how to really connect with people through the pageant,” she said. “Because, especially with the speech portion, you have to get up in front of a lot of people. You have to show confidence and leadership.
"And you can’t be afraid to show yourself and you can’t be afraid to talk and share your own opinions, even though other people might disagree," she said. "So I think the most rewarding part is finding myself and making new friends and connections.”
Her mom, Verginia Zocco, the pageant director, said the first portion of the pageant was bittersweet because Gabriella would be aging out since she had already surpassed and won all of the previous categories.
On the other hand, the sweet spot was being able to talk about the earth and women’s health, two of Gabriella’s favorite topics, while having friends and family there to support her.
Remaining crowns for the Royal Court 2024 went to:
- Grand Princess Corinne Rhoads
- Princess Cassandra Judge
- Duchess Isabella Redden
- Miss Eleanor Hudson
- Little Miss Lyza Baker
To view or purchase photos, click here.
Photo by Steve Ognibene
Photo by Steve Ognibene
