A Talent Contest, Mullet Pageant & Me

The Chloe Raye "Normal in a Country Song" Tour

July 9, 2026 - Barnesville, MN

The stage was just around the bend from the Clay County Fairgrounds entrance. They were calling for Talent Contest participants as we arrived, so we sat with others on the wooden church pews on the lawn to watch the competition, shuffling a little to the left, a little to the right, trying to stay within the shade of a tree that helped block the hot rays of the July Minnesota sun.

A young girl, helped by a mom who held her sheet music in place, played keyboard and sang as the first contest participant. That was me a few years ago, wanting so badly to test my skills and share my music in front of a crowd.

One of my first contests was at the Burke County Fair in Flaxton, ND. Tall, pencil-thin, middle schooler me, belted out a Disney movie song on a wooden stage placed on the dirt race track. My family, aunt and grandma were on the metal bleachers, their hair whipping in the North Dakota wind, clapping and cheering.

I didn't win, but the experience launched me on to many more.

Tonight I was the band shelter headliner for the first night of the Clay County Fair. But, first, the Talent Contest. After the final contestant performed, the judges compared notes and the emcee announced the winners. Meanwhile, boys from toddlers to teens gathered with their families on the grass surrounding the pews for their turn to get their competitor's number for the Mullet Pageant.

I have never seen so many mullets in one place, some consisting of baby fine blonde curls, some dropping down backs below the shoulders from young heads that were meticulously shaved around the ears. Some of these mini-Morgan Wallens went all out, wearing dark shades and 4th-of-July-week red, white and blue clothes, confidently walking the stage like a pageant runway. There were hoots and hollers from the crowd, and Minnesota Public Radio interviewed the winners.

How could I top that?

While the interviews continued in the pews, we re-set the stage for my show, hurrying so much that we forgot to turn on the stage lights. That doesn't matter, though, on a Minnesota summer night where the sun doesn't set until nearly 10 p.m.

My performance time slot was in competition with the Old Time Tractor Pull taking place at the grandstand (the roar of engines added bass accompaniment to my solo set) and the Bingo competition at the Lions Shelter. Despite all of the entertainment options, several fairgoers dotted the pews to hear my country music. By mid-set, the sun was traveling toward the horizon and we switched on the stage lights for the remainder of the show.

The evening weather was beautiful, and the still air carried my country songs across the fairgrounds, urging passersby who were nibbling on their final fair food of the night to stop for a bit and take in the joy of the sights, sounds and tastes of a county fair.

Back in July 2019 at the North Dakota State Fair, I sang the National Anthem during an unveiling ceremony of the U.S. Postal Service's new State and County Fairs Forever stamp. I got a ride on a fair golf cart to the ceremony, shook the hands of dignitaries, and took home a framed enlarged image of the stamps. It still hangs in my home, reminding me of the gift that fairs have been to me in my country music journey, and of my hope that I'll be singing at many more fairs, amidst the carefree fun of mullet pageants, livestock shows, corndog stands, 4-H exhibits, and the fading sunlight of summer nights.

Yep, that's me in the singing competition at the Burke County Fair in Flaxton several years ago.

I love the images included in the US Postal Services State and County Fairs Forever stamp. There's so much to celebrate at a fair, along with so many opportunities for young people to share their talents.