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Pageant caps fairs and festivals convention

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By Mike Ruben - email

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CHARLESTON -

Royalty from nearly 90 fairs and festivals throughout the Mountain State will compete for the title of 2013 West Virginia Association of Fairs and Festivals Queen on Jan. 12, at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the contest will begin at 6:30 p.m. Balcony seats are available to the public for $25 per person. 
The event will cap off the Association's convention, which takes place annually in Charleston. In addition to crowning the queen – who will reign over the 2013 State Fair of West Virginia – the convention provides numerous informational seminars and a trade show for representatives of the WVAFF's 130 member-events.

"This event will bring 1,100 visitors to Charleston, but that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as the economic impact of this organization," said Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass, said in a release. "These fairs and festivals are major players in the economies of their local communities. They bring in visitors from other towns and states, and they promote West Virginia-grown food products and crafts."

"One of the most important benefits of this convention is that it allows these organizations to network with others in similar situations," added Pageant Director Jean Smith, also Director of Marketing and Development for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. "They can compare what other fairs and festivals are doing and learn how they might add variety to their own events."