Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski Shianna Gracyalny, 2015 Shawano County Fairest of the Fair, holds a box of ribbons as she listens to officials’ instructions prior to the start of the pig show Thursday morning in the coliseum. As Fairest of the Fair, Gracyalny will make appearances at most fair events.
Shianna Gracyalny never set a goal of being Fairest of the Fair. Nonetheless, the 2015 Pulaski High School graduate is the face of the 2015 Shawano County Fair.
“I’ve been showing here for the last 10 years, and this was my last year, and I kind of wanted to make the best of it,” Gracyalny said. “I wanted to do something that would get me access to see everything behind the scenes and give me a little different experience for once.”
Gracyalny was one of two contestants in this year’s Fairest contest, succeeding Ashley Bergsbaken, of Bonduel. The Fairest attends other county fairs and area events promoting the Shawano County Fair.
As part of the contest, Gracyalny had to prepare a mock radio ad encouraging people to attend the fair. In her ad, she noted that “the food is hot and the drinks are cold,” and how the fair produces wonderful memories.
Contestants also received a random word and had to explain how it applies to the Fairest of the Fair. Gracyalny’s word was “dedication.”
“I have to be dedicated to the program, so any chance I get to promote the fair, I take the opportunity,” Gracyalny said. “During the fair, I have to be here and participate in many events I normally wouldn’t participate in.”
Gracyalny was surprised she won, considering she’d been ill and her voice was raspy.
“I’m thinking that I’m not going to get this, and then they announced to me that I’d won,” she said.
Besides her years with the Pulaski FFA, Gracyalny was a member of Maple Grove Countryside 4-H. She plans to attend Fox Valley Technical College this fall, where she hopes to get an associate’s degree in agribusiness.
Gracyalny said she hopes to use time as Fairest of the Fair to encourage young girls to consider taking on the role long after she’s left it behind.
“Even if you don’t have a good background with the fair or if you’ve never entered anything with 4-H or FFA, it really is open to everybody,” Gracyalny said. “It’s really based on professionalism and how you can handle yourself. If you want to go for it, do it.”
Being the symbol of the Shawano County Fair, Gracyalny meets a lot of people and has only a short time to pitch the event. Given only a minute to describe the fair, Gracyalny describes it as the “world’s fair.”
“It pretty much has everything from A to Z,” she said. “If you want to see different types of livestock, go to the livestock buildings. If you take a walk down the midway, you see a whole lot of different foods. It’s so good. It’s just a great opportunity to get the community together.”