CLINTON COUNTY — From Cinderella to Snow White, everyone dreams of being a princess, and on Saturday, a young lady from Clinton County became a queen.
Carissa Litteken was crowned the 2026 Clinton County Fair Queen, receiving the crown from 2025 Clinton County Fair Queen Amanda Brink in the Jane Knight Auditorium at Kaskaskia College during the Clinton County Fair Queen Pageant.
“Many of these speeches begin with, ‘On this day my life changed forever.’ My story is a little different. One thousand one hundred forty-three days ago, I sat for my first orientation, and my life was changed forever. I was opening what would become my favorite chapter and surrounded by a family I never knew I needed,” the 2025 Clinton County Fair Queen, Amanda Brink, conveyed to the crowd in her farewell address later in the competition. “The first time I stepped on this stage, I was a very nervous, shy, and very blonde 17-year-old girl. Being crowned Miss Clinton County Fair was a dream I had carried in my heart for so long. However, walking off this stage after my second year I was filled with doubt. I prayed for clarity, direction and peace. I continued to go back and forth on if I should go back and try. I kept going to a verse from the Bible. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. That verse became the anchor for this journey. When my name was called as the 2025 Miss Clinton County Fair, everyone in that room knew what that moment meant to me.”
The pageant took place at 1 p.m. with an introduction from Mistress of Ceremonies and 2022 Queen Candace Schomaker. The National Anthem was sung by 2024 Clinton County Fair Queen Shelby Peters.
Queen Amanda Brink gave the welcome speech, and then the visiting royalty took the stage. 2026 Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Krista Phillips gave her remarks as other visiting royalty were acknowledged, including queens from Okawville, Bond, and many other counties.
Three competitions gave the chance for queen hopefuls to show off a number of different qualities and attributes in hopes of capturing the crown. The competitions were the Beauty and Physique Competition in Swimwear, the Speech Competition in Business Attire, and the Evening Gown Competition.
The contestants were judged on a number of factors. Personal interviews were conducted with a panel of three and counted towards 35% of the final score. The individual interview sessions were an opportunity to learn about each contestant’s personality, qualities, attributes, and general knowledge.
The contestants were also judged on stage in communication skills, beauty, physique, and stage presence. The beauty and physique portion counts for 15% of the score. The beauty and physique portion combines general health, energy, posture, poise, and confidence of each contestant while she models a swimsuit.
The speech competition portion gave each contestant the opportunity to speak for one minute on a subject of their choice. Since the majority of the Queen’s job is to promote the Clinton County Fair and agriculture, this portion of the competition is worth a whopping 30% of the overall score.
Next up was the evening gown competition. Stage presence points are accumulated while the contestants appear in their evening gowns. Each contestant wears their gown and is then judged on the grace, poise, and confidence she projects. This is 20% of the contestant’s overall total score.
The last opportunity to be crowned by Queen Brink, assisted by the 2025 Clinton County 5K Fundraising Princesses. The Little Miss Contestants were: Aubree Huegen, Ella Gilbreth, Clare Faust, Jaxsun Smith, Scarlett Schaubert, Ivy Seelhoefer, Paisley King, Sicily Draege, Eliza Pollmann, Rosie Spicer, Haiven Gill, Paislee Snyder, Hardin Winkeler, Khaliah Bryant, Queen Amanda Brink, Blake Schwierjohn, Maya Baro, Kinley Malcomb, Layla Albers, Layla Gebke, and Briley Kannall.
Queen Brink, through tears, addressed the crowd for her farewell address, and then the contestants were brought on stage for the final announcement of the 2026 Clinton County Fair Queen.
“As I put on the crown one last time I was overcome with emotion. That emotion was not sadness but with gratitude so deep it is almost too hard to put into words,” Brink said.
The contestants for the 2026 fair queen crown were: Drew Drummond of Keyesport, April Wilken of Germantown, Carissa Litteken of Aviston, Daisy Brammeier of Carlyle, Isabelle Gilomen of Damiansville, Makenna Reckling of Carlyle, Jacie Persing of Carlyle, Karleigh Twitchell of Carlyle, Samantha Heinzmann of Carlyle, Makenna Budde of Damiansville, and Kylie Detmer of Aviston.
Karleigh Twitchell of Carlyle was announced as the second Runner-up. Runner-up and Miss Congeniality was Makenna Budde.
It would be Carissa Litteken crowned as the 2026 Clinton County Fair Queen. Queen Litteken is from Aviston and graduated from Breese Mater Dei High School in 2023. Litteken is currently attending Kaskaskia College, pursuing a degree in nursing, and is the daughter of Mark and Jennifer Litteken of Aviston.
“Carissa impressed our judges with her confidence, poise, personality, and genuine love for our community. We are excited to watch her represent Clinton County throughout the coming year and know she will wear the crown with grace and pride,” the Miss Clinton County Fair Pageant Committee said in a press release.