10 News
October 11, 2023
THE POLK COUNTY
Pulse
Brinley Blake to compete at Arkansas State Fair By Ethan Nahté Brinley Blake competed in the 2023 AR/OK State Fair Pageant in Fort Smith on Sept. 23. Blake, a senior at Mena High School who carries a 4.2 GPA, won the Arkansas NW Region Fair Queen. Blake said, “The pageant in Fort Smith for my NW Region Fair Queen title was an opportunity of a lifetime, competing against multiple other girls for the chance to compete for state scholarships and a new title that would make a huge impact for not only me, but our little county.” The title qualifies her to compete in the Arkansas State Fair Queen competition in Little Rock for 2023. She competes Tuesday
Oct. 17, for the opportunity to move forward to the final competition on Saturday, Oct. 21. Although, she and other contestants can advance another way with the participation of the public, who has the ability to vote for their favorite contestant. Voting is now open and one lucky contestant from the Fair Queen division will advance each night to the Top 4 by being the Audience Favorite. The winner is not announced. Votes can be made by using the PayPal link https://www.paypal. com/paypalme/arstatefair. Monies raised from the votes goes toward scholarships. If someone places a vote, for example, please add the contestant’s name, Brinley Blake, and her ti-
the state fair in Little Rock except for the pageant. Blake will also be accompanied by her princess, Drexley Beck. She is the daughter of Andrew and Kayla Beck of Hatfield. Blake paid for Beck’s expenses. It will give Beck an opportunity to get into pageant practices and a young experience with fair queens. She will also attend a princess party with Blake at the Arkansas State Fair. Blake also models for boutiques, works at Myers Cruizzers Drive-In in Mena, coaches and referees soccer games, and does a lot of volunteer work in the community. She is the daughter of Matt Blake Brinley Blake, Arkansas NW Region Fair Queen and Kayla Weaver. tle. Arkansas NW Region Fair Queen. Votes are $1 each, with a minimum $5. Contestants added as county/district/ regional winners are announced. Blake discovered on Saturday she won’t be able to compete this year in the Miss Polk County Pageant, stating she can’t hold two titles. They would eliminate her from competing in State on Oct. 17. The Little Rock explained it being a “bigger,” more prominent, title than just winning Miss Polk CounDrexley Beck will accompany Blake to the Arty. Polk County is part of kansas State Fair as her princess.
