Miss Arkansas State Fair pageant returns, with lore, talent and plenty of sparkle

by Scott Solomon, Isley Gooden Wed, September 30, 2026 at 2:58 PM If you think the Arkansas State Fair is all funnel cakes and Ferris wheels, the Miss Arkansas State Fair pageant and talent showdown are here to add a little extra sparkle — with a side of history, too. (Photo: KATV) LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — If you think the Arkansas State Fair is all funnel cakes and Ferris wheels, the Miss Arkansas State Fair pageant and talent showdown are here to add a little extra sparkle — with a side of history, too. Executive Director Ashton Pruitt said the Miss Arkansas State Fair program has roots stretching back more than a century. She said Miss Lily Ruth Bales was appointed by the state fair in 1907, though the fair didn’t happen for a couple years after that. Pruitt said the pageant’s story picks up again in the 1920s, including a 1922 promotion that partnered with the Arkansas Democrat Gazette to search across the state for a fair queen. The pageant has evolved over the years, according to Pruitt. In more recent seasons she, co-director Mary Moody and general manager Tiffany Wilkerson have worked to “evolve and elevate the pageant."