Deinken crowned Miss State Fair, Heath named Teen winner

Benjamin Chase/Plainsman The Miss State Fair/Miss Huron Scholarship Competition was held Saturday during the S.D. State Fair. Among those winning scholarship awards were, from left: Jensine Matson, first runner-up in the Miss division, Miss Huron Julia Stanek, Miss State Fair Emily Deinken, Miss State Fair’s Teen Modesy Heath and Miss Huron’s Teen Riley Schwinler.

HURON — Sioux Falls elementary music teacher Emily Deinken  was awarded the Miss State Fair title Saturday at the Farm Bureau Dakotaland Stage on the State Fairgrounds,  while also being receiving the Kara Kogel Award recognizing Miss Congeniality and the Mary Ellen Vaillancourt Kindness Award.

Each came with scholarship money for Deinken, who played flute as her talent competition and also represented “Advocate for Educators” for her social impact statement.

Julia Stanek of Sioux Falls, a student at the University of South Dakota, won the Miss Huron title while SE Technical student Jensine Matson of Ramona was named first runner up.

Modesty Heath, a student at Wolsey-Wessington High School from Huron, was awarded the Miss South Dakota State Fair’s Teen title and also won the Kara Kogel Award recognizing Miss Congeniality among teen delegates.

Riley Schwinler of Brookings won the Miss Huron’s Teen title.

Five young women competed as a Miss delegate and four competed for the Teen title.