BELTON — The Fashion Revue of the Bell County Youth Fair and Livestock Show went without a hitch Saturday afternoon at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton.
The 16 contestants — all girls except for an 8-year-old boy — walked the runway in the Special Events Room, upstairs from the Assembly Hall. Family members and friends applauded and took photos.
“We’re thankful to be able to be here,” said Jennifer Smith, Fashion Revue superintendent. “So many shows have been cancelled. We’re doing everything we can to keep this fair going for the kids.”
The grand champion award went to Grace Pohl of Tigertown 4-H Club, and reserve grand champion to Jessalyn Payne of Stampede Creek 4-H Club. Payne won champion in the senior specialty division to qualify for the higher award.
Pohl, 19, won champion in the senior division of formal and evening wear. She wore an orange, floor-length gown and said she’s bound for the University of Texas.
The runner-up in that division was Penny Parmer of Holland Family Career Commu- nity Leaders of America. Par-mer, 15, a sophomore at Holland High School, is the daughter of Brad and Ste-phanie Parmer. She was the reserve grand champion of last year’s revue. The black taffeta dress she wore Saturday is a 1957 Vogue pattern, she said. She used a machine and hemmed the skirt by hand.
“I’ve been competing since the third grade,” she said. “I plan on being a family consumer science teacher, but sewing is my hobby. I like sewing because it allows me to take a break from the real world and relax.”
Her grandmother, Patsy Parmer, taught her to sew, she said. She also credited Cathy Cleveland, her family consumer science teacher.
Jake Czerwinski, 8, of Holland 4-H said the work apron he modeled was his first sewing project. He’s the son of Wendy and Marcin Czerwinksi.
“It was actually really fun,” he said.
He also has a lamb and other projects entered in the fair.
Jane Gauntt, 13, of Tigertown 4-H Club won first place in the intermediate specialty division with her deer costume. She is the daughter of Jerri Gaunt and John Gaunt Jr., and an eighth-grader in Belton Middle School.
“Me and my friend made an M&M costume one year with the same skirt, so I just changed the skirt color and made a vest with a detachable tail,” she said.
She plans on attending Texas A&M University and is thinking about being a lawyer, she said.
Raeley Fleming, 10, a fifth-grader at Thomas Arnold Elementary in Salado, won first place in the intermediate division of two or more pieces sewn. She called her outfit a “tie wrap.”
“It takes a lot of hard work,” she said. “It’s just a really fun experience and good for beginners.”
Her grandmother, Caroline Frasier, taught her to sew, she said. She plans to attend Texas Tech University and wants to be a neurologist.
Sarah Wood, 16, of Tigertown 4-H Club placed second in the senior division of tailored garment. A home-schooled junior, she is the daughter of Barbara and Bill Wood of Belton.
“I made everything I’m wearing,” she said.
She’s been sewing about 13 years.
“I love how you can create almost anything,” she said. “It’s a chance for you to show off your skills.”
Amelia Castillo, 14, of 4His Glory, won champion in the senior division of a dress. She is home-schooled and the daughter of Joe and De Castillo of Troy. She plans to attend Texas A&M University and become a veterinarian. She has animals at home, she said, including a duck, a rabbit, chickens, a hedgehog, a goat and a pet rat that likes to climb in her hair.
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