Rules & Regulations
Forks of the Buffalo Queen/Teen/Preteen Pageant
1. Queen Contestants must be 16 by August 19, 2024, and not have reached her 22nd birthday on or before January 1, 2025, legal residents of the United States, legal residents of the state of West Virginia, never been married, never had children, or not currently pregnant nor has ever been pregnant.
2. Teen Contestants must be 12 by August 19, 2024, and not over 15 years of age by January 1, 2025, legal residents of the United States, legal residents of the state of West Virginia, never been married, never had children, or not currently pregnant nor has ever been pregnant.
3. Preteen Contestants must be 9 by August 19, 2024, and not over 12 years of age by August 19, 2024, legal residents of the United States, and legal residents of the state of West Virginia.
4. Contestants must be of good health, moral character, and never been charged with a crime.
5. All contestants must be present for practice the morning of the pageant. All contestants will participate in interviews, introductions, and on-stage questions. Miss contestants will also have a promo during the interview.
6. The Forks of the Buffalo pageant will be held at 6:00 pm on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at the Mannington County Fairgrounds in Mannington, WV. Contestants must arrive at the dressing room no later than 45 minutes prior to the pageant’s start.
7. Contestants must demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times, be responsible for their own possessions, and respect the belongings of other contestants.
8. The Forks of the Buffalo festival committee is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Do not leave items of value unattended in the dressing room.
9. There will be no food allowed in the dressing area and only bottled drinks will be permitted. The dressing room will be available all-day Saturday. Bring your own extension cords and mirror.
10. Only one individual of the contestant’s choosing will be allowed in the dressing area with the contestant. Each contestant will be given a wrist band for their person of choice at rehearsal, and their person must wear the band in order to obtain entrance to the dressing room. This is to ensure there is enough room for all contestants and their belongings. Females only are permitted in the dressing room. The individual of the contestant’s choosing will be permitted to enter the pageant for free as long as they are wearing their wrist band.
11. Contestants will be required to have the following attire for the pageant:
a) interview attire
b) Blue Jeans (T-shirt will be provided) for Introduction
b) Evening gown for Evening Gown Competition/Onstage question
12. Winning queens must be available for Forks of the Buffalo BBQ throwdown during the festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We will give you a list of events to be at.
13. Winning queens must be dressed in appropriate attire and have their sash/crown on while representing the festival.
14. Winning Queen will receive a $125 cash prize, crown, sash, and flower bouquet. Winning Teen Queen will receive a $100 cash prize, crown, sash, and flower bouquet. Winning Preteen Queen will receive a $75 cash prize, crown, sash, and flower bouquet. (Cash prize will be given at end of reign)
17.Awards will be given in each division for Miss Congeniality, Miss Photogenic, and Crowd Favorite
18. Contestants must submit a recent clear head and shoulder photo, either a 4x6 or 5x7, (for Miss Photogenic), along with the application, contract, medical release form, and $125 sponsorship fee for Queen Division, $100 sponsorship fee for Teen Division, & $75 sponsorship for the Preteen Division (may be obtained from a business or by family and friends) by Tuesday, August 1, 2024. The sponsor’s check should be made payable to Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown.
19. Miss Photogenic is judged by a photographer prior to the pageant, so photos must be mailed with the application. Your photo will be returned to you at rehearsal.
20. Tattoos and/or body piercings (other than earrings) may be left in during the pageant OR covered up/taken out. This is a choice for the contestant to make. However, if a contestant chooses to take out any piercings/cover tattoos during the pageant, they must take them out/cover them up any time they are wearing their sash and crown (at parades, events, etc.). The winning queens should use good taste when choosing clothing to wear while representing the festival at events, parades, festivals, and other pageants (no jeans with holes, mini-skirts, crop tops, etc.). It is also proper pageant etiquette for visiting royalty at other pageants to wear only their sash (not their crown).
21. The queens must present themselves in a positive manner with good moral values when posting comments or pictures on Internet social networking sites (Facebook, SnapChat, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc.). The pageant directors may ask queens to remove inappropriate pictures, comments, language etc. The queen will be given 24 hours to follow this request. If the request is not honored, the directors will decide based on their discretion.
22. A refund will only be given if you win a fairs and festival pageant prior to August 17, 2024.
23. May not compete in any other WV Association of Fairs and Festival Pageants during the 2024 year. You may compete in hobby pageants.
I have read the above rules and agree to abide by them while participating in the Forks of the Buffalo BBQ pageant. If I am chosen as a queen, I agree to abide by these rules for the entirety of my reign.