Sondra Hernandez Staff writer April 7, 2025

Conroe High School junior Avery McCartney was crowned queen of the 2025 Montgomery County Fair Saturday night. 

The honor was announced during the rodeo at the fair. Rounding out the Montgomery County Fair Queen court are First Runner-up Bella Birkelbach, Magnolia West High School; Second Runner-up Ali Denson, Magnolia West High School and Miss Congeniality Riley Minter from Lake Creek High School.

FAIR INFO: The Montgomery County Fair runs through Sunday. Here’s what to know and how to go.

The teens are all juniors at their respective high schools and will serve as ambassadors for the fair association during the fair’s run and until the 2026 event. 

The Montgomery County Fair opened Thursday and continues through Sunday. 

Crowning achievement

McCartney, 16, is in Conroe High’s FFA club, National Honor Society and is a student in Conroe’s Academy for Science & Health Professions.

In 2024, she had a health scare that caused her to loose 75 percent of her hair. She felt that the contest may help boost her confidence again and participating in the queen’s contest did, she said.

“I look forward to inspiring anyone and everyone to do anything that they put their mind to,” she said of her upcoming year as queen. The candidate group was smaller this year with 14 teens in the running. 

She said bonding with this group of young ladies has been the best part of the fair-queen process. 

“It was a smaller group of us this year. They are some of my best friends now and it has been so amazing going through this process with them,” she said. 

She’ll show a market goat — Pony Boy — named after the character in the movie “The Outsiders” Tuesday at the fair. 

“He’s my designated showmanship goat and he’s an angel to me,” she said. “I show every weekend so I’m constantly with him.” She also entered several non-livestock handicraft items. 

NATIONAL ARCHERY TOUR: Conroe to host R100 archery tour stop in April. Famed archer Terry Ragsdale to compete.

A queen’s farewell

Faith Nichols from Willis High School, the 2024 Montgomery County Fair queen, also took her last ride around the rodeo before the crowning. 

“I am so grateful to have the opportunity to represent the greatest county in Texas as your 2024 Montgomery County Fair Queen,” Nichols said in a video shown before the crowning. She thanked the other teens on the court and the committee for the last year and mentioned how the events she experienced in the last year embodied the spirit of supporting students through the fair. 

What to know if you go 

Next up at the fair is the Junior Non-Livestock Auction at 7 p.m. Monday night.

Junior livestock judging continues through Wednesday with the Junior Livestock Auction at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night. The fair continues this weekend with the Busch Light BBQ Cook Off Friday and Saturday and El Dia de La Familia Hispania Sunday. 

See the “Know Before You Go” button on the Montgomery County Fair website for general fair information and a full schedule of events. 

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