NEWELL—Three new rodeo queens were crowned at the Newell Labor Day Rodeo Queen Coronation at 12:30 pm on September 4, prior to the Labor Day Rodeo. Winning the grand title of 2023 Newell Labor Day Rodeo Queen was Avery Geffre of Spearfish, SD. This year’s Junior Miss Labor Day Rodeo Queen was Remi Crago, from Saint Onge, SD. Finally, the Little Miss Labor Day Rodeo Queen was Hadlee Hunsaker of Fairburn, SD.
The Newell Labor Day Rodeo Queen contest was held on Saturday, August 26, with the first half of the competition taking place at Newell City Hall. The competition started with public speaking, where contestants gave speeches on the topic “A Historical Character that has Shaped Rodeo History.” Following the speeches were the modeling and impromptu questions, which required contestants to model a Western outfit and then draw three questions to answer in front of the audience. The competition was then closed to the public for contestants’ personal interviews with the judges.
In the afternoon, contestants’ horsemanship skills were put to the test at the Newell Arena for the second half of the contest. Each contestant completed a horsemanship pattern and a visit with the judges, followed by a presentation run where they presented the flag. Along with the Newell Labor Day Queen, Junior Miss Labor Day Queen, and Little Miss Labor Day Queen titles, awards were given in each group for horsemanship, appearance, and personality, with one award for Miss Congeniality. Labor Day Rodeo Queen Pageant Contestants Queen: Avery Geffre, age 20, Spearfish, SD Junior Miss: Ema Leach, age 12, Belle Fourche, SD Remi Crago, age 12, Saint Onge, SD Little Miss: Lavinia Rasmussen, age 8, Clark, SD.
