Queen of the Fair completes her reign
BYRAM TWP. Jolisse Gray urges pageant contestants to enjoy the fair and be proud of their titles.
Byram /
| 01 Aug 2023 | 01:52
Jolisse Gray of Byram was chosen Queen of the Fair last year. (Photo by Sammie Finch)
Jolisse Gray waves to the crowd during the holiday parade in December in Newton. (Photo provided)
Queen of the Fair 2022 Jolisse Gray will pass her crown to the winner of the 2023 pageant on Saturday, Aug. 5 at the New Jersey State Fair.
Competing in the pageant are young women representing almost every town in Sussex County.
Gray comes from Byram, which she described as a small rural town that is very beautiful.
During the 2022 pageant, she expressed what her town and the county meant to her with passion, saying how proud she was to be able to represent Byram and Sussex County.
After winning the Queen of the Fair title, she participated in many events there, such as the cheesecake and cookie competition.
She made it a point to stop by the veterans tent every day of the fair to show her support. Showing love for her rural town, Gray met with 4-H students at the fair and showcased animals while dressed up and wearing heels.
“I love Sussex County and I especially love Byram,” she said. “One of the greatest things about being the Queen of the Fair is when people would ask me what town I’m from, I could proudly say I am from Byram.”
Job with the Navy
After the fair, she moved to Washington, D.C., to work for U.S. Navy Acquisitions, but she participated in as many Sussex County events as possible, including the holiday parade in December in Newton.
Gray, who earned a bachelor’s degree at Notre Dame of Maryland University, will be heading back to the fair this week to crown the new Queen of the Fair.
Her advice to contestants in the upcoming pageant:
“If you don’t win Queen of the Fair, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t a vital piece of Sussex County and you don’t represent the best parts of it. What makes Queen of the Fair is the towns. Just because you don’t win the title, it doesn’t mean it negates your town title.”
Gray believes that representing a town is an honor and a great accomplishment.
She urged the contestants to enjoy the fair and be proud of their titles.
The 2023 Queen of the Fair should get involved in the fair, she suggested, recalling her many great memories from last year’s fair.
She plans to continue with her Navy job and is preparing to apply for programs to earn a master’s degree in national security policy.
She loves traveling the globe and hopes to continue doing so.
If you don’t win Queen of the Fair, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t a vital piece of Sussex County and you don’t represent the best parts of it. What makes Queen of the Fair is the towns. Just because you don’t win the title, it doesn’t mean it negates your town title.” - Jolisse Gray, Miss Sussex County 2022
