Pageant draws county’s cutest babies

Asher Nicholson, a 27-month-old dressed in plaid shorts, a tan hat and T-shirt and black Converse sneakers, ran around the auditorium during the Monroe County Fair Baby Contest on Saturday afternoon.\nAsher’s mom Sheena chased him around as he climbed bleachers and moved chairs. She grabbed her son and picked him up as he smiled.\n“I want to see the big lights,” Asher said, pointing to the stage.\nHe grabbed his New York Yankees dog tag hanging around his neck while his mother kept telling him he would be in the big lights soon.\n“Bribery,” Sheena said. “I just reward him when he’s good. I usually give him something to look forward to.”\nFamilies filled the auditorium Saturday at the Monroe County Fairground for the annual Baby Contest, a lighthearted pageant meant to judge the county’s cutest infants. Children of all ages ran around, laughed, cried and slept as volunteers set up the stage.\nThe contest began at 3:30 p.m. and consisted of nine different categories based on age. Parents walked each baby onto the stage and showed their child to a panel of three judges. There were 205 babies total and 17 winners. \nMyra Powell, Monroe County Fair committee member, said the baby contest started at the fairgrounds in 1955. Powell helped register the babies for the contest and walked through the event to make sure everything was running smoothly.\n“We actually usually have bigger numbers,” she said. “It was down a bit this year.”\nThe contest ended at 6 p.m. with only a handful of people still in the crowd. Throughout the contest, the chairs began emptying as families waited for their child’s category to be called.\nSheena and Asher waited in line as other children were being shown to the judges. She explained that this was the family’s second night at the fair and that usually they are more interested in the livestock area. \n“I like the cows,” Asher screamed.\nSheena said Asher took part in the baby contest when he was a newborn and was very excited to be a part of it this year. \n“I hope he wins,” she said. “(The baby contest) took longer than they said it would.”\nThough Asher did not win his age category, he grinned anyway and gave a big wave to the three judges. He left the auditorium holding his mother’s hand and smiling.