ALBUQUERQUE—Fair officials are pleased to report that the newly-crowned New Mexico State Fair Queen for 2018 is Clara Rabenau of Sierra County.
Clara was crowned on Saturday, September 16, during the rodeo in Tingley Coliseum. She is the 17 year-old daughter of William and Loretta Rabenau. She is homeschooled and a high school senior. She enjoys reading, hunting, archery competitions, riding and 4-H activities. Clara has participated in several other fair queen competitions at the local level, and holds the title “Miss Fiesta” for the 2017 Truth or Consequences Fiesta. She is very proud of her community and her roots as a self described ranch girl.
After completing high school, Clara plans to attend Dona Ana Community College in Las Cruces and pursue a paramedic certification. Her future goals are to work at her community hospital in Truth or Consequences part time while devoting the rest of her time to working at the family ranch. Clara has expressed that as the 2018 New Mexico State Fair Queen, she is most excited about having the opportunity to share her love of the rodeo life, all things horses, and the 4-H programs that have been such an important influence in her life. She looks forward to being an ambassador for the state fair because it encompasses all of those elements of the ranching way of life that she holds dear.
The rules for the Queen Contest describe the title of New Mexico State Fair Queen as “one of honor and prestige like no other in New Mexico and the experience gained during the queen’s reign will enrich her life in countless ways.” This title represents not only the Western way of life, but also the quality of leadership among young women in New Mexico as the leaders of tomorrow. According to Queen’s contest guidelines, the objective of the New Mexico State Fair Queen Contest is to determine an official representative of the Fair who will serve as an ambassador to the general public, exhibiting exceptional sportsmanship. She should be able to speak with authority, and with knowledge about the New Mexico State Fair, the State of New Mexico and the sport of Rodeo. She should also be familiar with the state's agriculture industry, its Western heritage, and diverse cultures which is what the New Mexico State Fair is about. A panel of judges select the New Mexico State Fair Queen – with their scores added together to give one averaged score for each contestant. The contestant with the highest averaged score is selected as the New Mexico State Fair Queen. The contestants were judged on: Horsemanship, Personality and Personal Interviews. The first runner up is Lauren Wilder from Dona Ana County and second attendant is MacKayla McRae from Lea County.