2026 PUTNAM COUNTY FAIR PAGEANTS

July 30th – August 1st
See each division below for date and time.
Enter NOW through the ENTRY DEADLINE of JULY 24th AT NOON
No late entries accepted for any reason.

Thursday, July 30, 2026
6:00 p.m. Preteen Miss (11-12 years)
7:00 p.m. Teen Miss (13-15 years)
8:00 p.m. Fairest of the Fair (16-20 years)

Friday, July 31, 2026
6:00 p.m. Senior Ms. (60+ years)
7:00 p.m. Ms. Elite (40-59 years)
8:00 p.m. Ms. (21-39 years)

Saturday August 1, 2026
1:00 p.m. Junior Miss (9-10 years)
1:30 p.m. Young Miss (7-8 years)
2:00 p.m. Little Miss (5-6 years)
2:30 p.m. Mini Miss (4 years)
3:00 p.m. Tiny Miss (3 years)
3:30 p.m. Toddler Miss (2 years)
4:00 p.m. Baby Miss (1 years)
4:30 p.m. Infant Miss (0-11 months)
5:00 p.m. All Boys Divisions
(Baby Mr. 0-2, Toddler Mr. 3-4, Little Mr. 5-6)

*Age on the day of the pageant determines your division*

How to Enter:

ENTRY DEADLINE IS FRIDAY JULY 24th AT NOON

Entry fee is $50 for ages 0-15 & 21+ and $75 for FOF division

Enter online at the link below.

Drop off printed entry form with cash or check payable to Putnam Co. Fair Board at Naturally Sassy Soaps 921 S. Willow Ave. Ste. D Cookeville M-F 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. & Sat. 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

NO LATE ENTRIES ACCEPTED

Rules & Info

Ages 0-20 Contestants must live in or go to school in Putnam or Jackson counties We reserve the right to request proof of address/school enrollment from any contestant. Ages 21+ have no residency restrictions.
Contestants may not hold any other county fair title for the current year for another county. (All ages.)
No criminal history. Contestants may not have ever been convicted of / found or pled guilty to a crime. If a contestant is convicted during their reign, the title is forfeited to the first runner-up. (Must physically hand over all awards.)
No previous year’s winner can compete this year, even if moving up a division. Basically it’s sitting out one year after you win. And you can never compete again in the same division that you won. You CAN compete after skipping a year as long as you’ve moved up to the next age division.
Ages 0-15 & 21+ there is no required modeling pattern; modeling is up to each contestant.
Practice is Wednesday July 29th. It is OPTIONAL for ages 0-15 and 21+ between 3-5pm at the pageant space – the convention center at the new fairgrounds. Practice for these ages is not directed, you may take turns on stage doing your own routine. You will have approximately 60 seconds on stage per turn. This is not the time to learn a routine, but rather to see the stage and make yourself familiar with it prior to the pageant. You must be out of the space by 5pm. Practice is MANDATORY for FOF division at 5:30 p.m. on this night.
FOF, Preteen and Teen Miss must be available for appearances every day of the fair (with jobs and responsibilities lasting for at least a couple of hours most days) as well as other dates throughout the year. Junior Miss, Ms., Ms. Elite and Senior Ms. will have at least two days of appearances required at the fair. (Dates given after crowning.) No other ages have appearances.
NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED DURING THE PAGEANT. IT INTERFERES WITH OUR PHOTOGRAPHER’S EQUIPMENT. Professional photos will be available for purchase from our photographer on FB as a pre-order or the day of the pageant.
Premiums (prizes): Winner $35, 1st Runner Up $25, 2nd Runner Up $20, Third Runner Up $15, and 4th Runner Up $10. These will be available for pickup at the fairgrounds the day after the fair ends.
Senior Ms. will advance to the Senior Ms. TN pageant
There is no photogenic for ages 0-15 and 21+ this year
The Cookeville Christmas parade has one official entry for our queens and that is our official float. It is for Junior Miss and Up. Only the queens are allowed on the float. No one younger than Junior Miss may participate. You may not enter this parade individually. You may ride in any other parade as individuals if you wish. Failure to follow this rule will result in forfeiture of title.
Winners ages 0-8 will not have appearances at the fair and will not be allowed on stage or in arenas with horses/livestock/motor vehicles of any type. They are free to wear their sash and crown around the fair but cannot be in any arena or show NO EXCEPTIONS.
Any contestant or their family being rude or displaying poor sportsmanship at or before the pageant, including in phone or online communications, will be removed from the pageant, and the contestant will be banned from competing for life. If these things occur after the pageant contestant will be banned from future pageants for life.
Any titleholder displaying such behavior as deemed inappropriate by the pageant committee and/or fair board will forfeit their title to the 1st runner up in their division and be banned from future competitions for life.
If you have any questions about the pageants not answered here, please direct them to:
Shannon Hayes, Chairperson (931) 644-5853 – pageantswithpurpose@yahoo.com

Please do not contact other fair board members about the pageant, as it is not their area of responsibility, and they will not be able to answer you.

Additional FOF Division Specific Info

Mandatory Interviews for Fairest of the Fair division only (ages 16-20) Sunday, July 26th at 2:00 p.m. at Duck Pond Manor 665 Duck Pond Rd. Sparta.
Each contestant must decorate a high-heeled shoe. This year’s theme should reflect 100 years of the Putnam Co. Fair and 250 years of the United States. The winning shoe is awarded $50 with the winner announced at the pageant. The FOF’s shoe is taken to the state convention in January as well. Shoes are to be turned in at your mandatory practice on Wednesday, July 29th at 5:30 p.m.
Each contestant must email a headshot/photogenic photo to pageantswithpurpose@yahoo.com with their name in the subject line by the entry deadline.
Judging criteria for Fairest of the Fair division: 5% photo, 5% shoe, 30% Interview, 40% On stage modeling (poise, personality, overall appearance), (Top contestants after on stage model will advance to on stage question: top five or ten depending on enrollment.) 20% On stage question. Being late to practice or interview will result in points deductions from your final pageant score.
FOF will have a non-compete contract. They may not represent any title during their reign other than Putnam Co. FOF. They may not compete in any pageant other than the state pageant at the TAF Convention. Any current titles held prior to winning will need to be retired/relinquished.
No previous FOF can compete, no matter what county they won in.
Contestants may not have ever been married or pregnant (state rules).
1st Runner up in this division is REQUIRED to compete at the Princess Pageant in the fall for all Fairest of the Fair 1st Runner Ups. (The fair board pays your entry fee for this.)
FOF must be available for appearances every day of the fair (with jobs and responsibilities lasting for several hours most days) as well as other dates throughout the year and sign a contract upon crowning, agreeing to fulfill duties of her title.
The walking pattern is a forward T, with a runway. The full FOF pageant program routine will be learned at practice.
Contestants must be 16 by pageant day and cannot turn 21 before 12/31/26.
The Fairest of the Fair receives a $1,000 Scholarship – non-transferable, paid directly to the college or trade school upon completion of one successful semester in college, completing all her fair duties during the fair and competing in the State Pageant in January in Murfreesboro

Fairest of the Fair entry checklist:

If you entered online you still need to turn in everything in person for this division.

Entry form (this is what emcee reads-do not write more than the lines given, it will not be read), at the bottom of this webpage – turn in with your entry fee.
Typed one page bio- turn this in with your entry fee. (interview based on this)
Copy of your Driver’s License or other proof of residency as listed above – turn in with your entry fee.
Email your photo by entry deadline to pageantswithpurpose@yahoo.com with your name and division in the subject line.
Be sure to put your cell phone number on your entry form.
Failure to do any of these things will result in point deductions from final score.

It is very important that you follow the Facebook page listed below, as all updates, changes, schedule and info related to the pageants is announced there.
www.facebook.com/PutnamCoFOF

If you have any questions about the pageants not answered here or on the Facebook page listed above please direct them to:
Shannon Hayes, Chairperson (931) 644-5853 – pageantswithpurpose@yahoo.com

All entry fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable for any reason.

Dates and times are subject to change with or without notice. .
Entry into the pageants serves as your agreement to be photographed and your image used to promote the fair and the pageant in all forms of print and online media and in any way the fair board/pageant Chair see fit. Entry also serves as your agreement to hold harmless Putnam Co. Fair, it’s board, Chair, judges, emcees and volunteers from any loss/damages/illness/injury as a result of your participation. By entering you agree you have read all of the information in this document.

2026 Pageant Form