Hailey Pedrick, a recent Pekin graduate, was named the 2026 Greater Jefferson County Fair Queen on Wednesday, June 24th during Royalty Night at the Jefferson County Fair.
Pedrick is the daughter of Ryan and Erin Pedrick. She plans to attend Iowa State University to study animal science on a pre-veterinary track, with the goal of opening a practice in southeast Iowa. She has been interning at Keokuk County Veterinary Clinic in preparation for that path.
Pedrick has been a fixture at the Jefferson County Fair since she was old enough to join 4-H, showing lambs and steers at the fair each year. She has also held numerous leadership positions throughout high school, including serving as captain of the Pekin girls wrestling team all four years, president of her 4-H Club, and president of her school’s FFA chapter.
The other queen candidates were Lydia Cass, who was named First Runner-Up, and Frances Miller, who received the Miss Congeniality honor.
Wednesday’s Royalty Night also included three additional competitions. Abbie Hammes was named Princess for ages 12 through 15, Ivy Mitchell was named Junior Miss for ages 9 through 11, and Thea Pilcher won Little Miss for ages 6 through 8.
The Jefferson County Fair runs through June 29th.
