Carnival lights flash in vivid color as children on rides squeal with delight. The smell of corndogs and funnel cakes fills the air, leaving a lingering sense of nostalgia. As the candidates parade through the crowds in classic cars, onlookers hush in anticipation of the crowning of their 2025 Caruthers Fair Queen.
Senior Tayla Tarlton was crowned Caruthers Fair Queen at the 96th Annual Caruthers District Fair, Sept. 24. The fair has always been near and dear to Tarlton’s heart, especially since her grandmother ran for queen in 1960 and her sister Tori Tarlton, ‘23, won Caruthers Fair Queen in 2022.
The process begins between April and May; young women submit their applications and are contacted if the committee chooses them to run. On June 5, the chosen girls meet with Queen Pageant Coordinator Johannah White to learn about the process and receive their first boxes of tickets to sell.
“I made my first sale that night to my cousin, and then the next day I hit the ground running, going door to door around Caruthers,” Tarlton said. “I started there because people in the Caruthers community know why we are there and what we are doing; it was a good way to practice my pitch and practice talking to people because it’s a little nerve-racking at first.”
Tarlton went door-to-door selling raffle tickets for fair prizes, even making appointments with local businesses. Each ticket costs $5, and there are 20 tickets per book. The girls were required to sell 400 tickets by June 19, totaling $2,000. Then they were required to sell 200 more tickets, raising $1,000 more by August 19. On September 21, final tickets were turned in and counted. To win, they had to be the one to raise the most money, with proceeds going toward the Caruthers Fair.
The queen candidates made their first public appearance at the Caruthers fireworks show, July 3. Each girl introduced themselves to get people excited about the upcoming fair.
When the night of the crowning came, the girls were driven through the fair on antique cars and walked up to the stage by their parents. Tarlton commented that it didn’t quite feel real until she put on the dress and prepared to take the stage.
“I had a little talk with Jesus and just said: ‘Lord, I surrender the outcome to you because I know that this is so much bigger than just winning a crown, and that it means so much more. So whether I win or not, I praise you and thank you for the privilege and opportunity to get to do this. So I pray that you calm my nerves and what happens happens, and I will be filled with your peace,’” Tarlton said.
Tarlton won by a landslide, selling a total of 27,180 tickets amounting to $135,900. As the crown recipient, she was given the chance to thank all of the people who supported her along the way.
“Getting to give a speech and looking out to see all of my family and friends gathered around me and taking up half of the bleachers was so amazing,” Tarlton said. “Taking that big group picture and filling the entire stage was a sweet moment where I was surrounded by some of my biggest supporters and encouragers.”
To raise this kind of donation, she had a team of people supporting her and helping her along the way. Her methods varied from cash to Venmo, and she set up poster boards to draw people in and show the reason she was selling tickets.
“I would say I did it through hard work, time management, and building a connection with each person,” Tarlton said. “I raised tickets by grit. I learned how to take a ‘no’ and move on, picking my head up and continuing on.”
Though the fair has come to a close, Tarlton takes with her the skills she has developed. She has learned how to market herself, getting people excited about something and encouraging them to take part in the community. The fair gave her the opportunity to dive into her roots and develop herself as a businesswoman.
“I decided to run because I knew it was bigger than just a crown,” Tarlton said. “I wanted to be more involved in my community and extend my roots to know more about the people I’m around, to meet people from many different walks of life and to get people excited and involved about this fair that has been going on for 96 years and just grown exponentially.”
One aspect that made this experience so special for Tarlton was the support she received from her sister, the 2022 Caruthers Fair Queen. To see her sister be “all in” for her and fully supportive was encouraging and made a huge difference in the process. She was not at all defensive of her title and gave her sister tips along the way. With twin crowns, the Tarlton sisters will forever have memories of supporting each others queen campaigns.
Tarlton will never forget the discoveries she made within herself during this experience; she realized that she is capable of so much more than she gives herself credit for. Many parts of the experience were special to her, and she is thrilled to return to crown next year’s queen.
“I have to thank the Caruthers community for year after year investing in young women like myself to have this opportunity to help our community and to learn more about ourselves and learn these lessons at a young age, that way it can help us later on in life,” Tarlton said.
For more than 90 years, the fair has opened its gates for the community as a free, fun and welcoming environment to encourage young people to get involved. A valued tradition, families continue to look forward to the memories made every year.
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