Melissa Jackson

The West Virginia Oil and Gas Festival Board of Directors is proud to announce that Melissa Jackson, the 2008 West Virginia Oil and Gas Festival Queen, placed in the top 15 at the 2009 West Virginia Association of Fairs and Festival’s Queen’s Pageant.

The event was held at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, WV, from Jan. 15-17. Jackson faced off against 85 other contestants representing various fairs and festivals throughout the state.

Jackson participated in four areas of competition: event promotion, streetwear, personal interview, and evening gown. The event culminated in the crowning of the 2009 West Virginia Fairs and Festivals Queen, who will reign over the West Virginia State Fair in Lewisburg.

The streetwear and event promotion competitions began Jan. 15. The streetwear category judged the contestants on natural beauty, poise and presentation, while the event promotion category required contestants to perform a 30-second presentation.

The events for Jan. 16 included interviews with the judges. The contestants were judged on poise, personality and natural beauty. The day ended with an evening gown competition.

At the conclusion of the fourth phase of competition, 15 semi-finalists were chosen and interviewed from their fact sheets, with one eventually being crowned as the 2009 West Virginia Fairs and Festivals Queen.