The West End Fair Queen 2024 was crowned on the Main Stage Sunday afternoon during the Ninth Annual Fair Queen and Princess Program. Shortly after the ceremony, the skies opened up and the fair was forced to call an end to opening day.

Three contestants vied for the position, and Giavana Ukaj of Stroudsburg was crowned queen. The other contestants were Abygail Borger and Ciara Green.

Ukaj is a senior at Bethlehem Catholic High School in Bethlehem, where she participates in cheerleading. She was the fair princess in 2023.

“It was such an incredible program. I just had to go again,” she said.

As for her favorite part of the fair, Ukaj said, “I love how it brings the whole community together.”

After graduation, Ukaj said she plans to major in pre-physical therapy and is looking at a couple colleges in Florida.

Abygail Borger of Kunkletown was crowned as the 2024 Fair Princess. Borger is a senior at Pleasant Valley High School, where she is on the girls varsity lacrosse team, president of the Future Farmers of America and a member of Aevidum. She also participates in the 4-H program in Monroe County.

Borger said she has been participating in the West End Fair since she was a child. Her family has a farm and she shows their cows at the fair.

“The fair is like a family,” she said.

Her favorite part of the fair is being with the children. “I love spreading any kind of knowledge about agriculture,” she said.

Borger plans to major in education after graduation from high school.

Ciara Green is also a senior at Pleasant Valley High School, where she participates in varsity cheerleading.

The West End Fair Queen program is organized by Krista Lynn Wawrzynski, who was the fair queen in 2015 and a graduate of Pleasant Valley High School in 2017. She was the first fair queen and took over as organizer three years ago from her sister, Sierra Dotter.

“The fair program helps these young ladies become leaders in promoting agriculture and hospitality,” Wawrzynski said. “The fair may be seven days, but we are doing events just about 365 days a year.”

The fair queen has the opportunity to compete for the state fair queen title in January at the convention a couple weeks after the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Wawrzynski said there are about 107 fairs in the state, but not all of them have fair queens. In all, about 60 girls compete for the title.

Locally, the fair queen attends local events where she is asked to make a special appearance. One of those is the Chestnuthill Township Trunk or Treat night, Wawrzynski said.

“It’s a good time,” she said.

Wawrzynski hopes to grow the West End Fair Queen program to include a junior miss group, and has already begun to raise funds to make it a reality.

“I think it’s a great step into the program,” she said. “It gives them more time to become better in public speaking and better advocates for us here in Monroe County.”

This additional time in the program would help future West End Fair Queens as they compete at the state level.

The West End Fair continues through Saturday. Admission is $8 for ages 11 and older and free for 10 and under.

Located in Gilbert at the West End Fairgrounds, the fair offers rides, entertainment, live music, food, historic exhibits, flowers, quilts, demolition derbies and a rodeo.

Today: Free rides 2-6 p.m.

Main stage: 3 and 4:15 p.m., Last One Standing; 7 and 8:30 p.m., The Cramer Brothers Band

Bandshell: 5:30 p.m., PV Band

Main arena: 7 p.m., 1980 & Newer Full Size, Feature only Stock Junk Car Race, $12 admission.

Tuesday: Sensory Day: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Military: Free admission for all military with ID

Discount: $2 off admission with gifts for Samaritan’s Purse shoe boxes to send overseas.

Main stage: 3 and 4 p.m., The Rehrig Brothers; The Mahoney Brothers at 7 p.m., Long Live the Beatles at 7 p.m.

Bandshell: 5:30 p.m., East Stroudsburg South HS Band

Main arena: 7 p.m., Demo Derby, Small Car, Mid Size and Power Wheels. Admission is $12.