Queen Contest

The glamour was back at the Howard County Fair this year as three young women wore formal gowns and high-heeled shoes into the show ring to compete to be the county's spokeswoman for agriculture. Organizers put a new name -- the Miss Howard County Farm Bureau Contest -- on a competition that looked a lot like the Farm Queen contest that was held for six decades until last summer. Emma Bullock of Ellicott City won the competition yesterday, which welcomed back dressy gowns after the women wore less formal dresses last year.

Every summer, Carroll Countians crown their fire prevention queens. But this year, there's just one problem: a severe shortage of would-be queens.At the Sykesville Fire Department's contest this month, a total of two contestants vied for the title of Miss Fire Prevention. Nobody has entered Mount Airy's competition, set for today. And a similar lack of entrants has prompted the Gamber fire company to run newspaper ads -- "Girls Wanted for Miss Gamber" -- to drum up interest in its contest, scheduled for Aug. 6.Potential queens became hard to come by about five years ago. But in 1990 all 14 of Carroll's volunteer fire companies still held fire prevention queen contests, usually attracting six to eight entrants.

LEONARDTOWN -- Outside, sheep are being blow-dried, cow dung cleaned from the road and cotton candy wiped from children's mouths. Inside, 11 young women stand around in evening gowns, straining to subdue the butterflies in their stomachs."

The 50th annual Howard County Fair will be held Aug. 12-19 at Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship.The schedule of events includes 4-H contests, performances, a parade of floats, a pie-eating contest and the farm queen contest.The fair's first day will have a clogging demonstration, line dancing and instructions and Red Hot Country performing at 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.Information: 442-1022.POLICE LOG* Lisbon: 1200 block of Morgan Station Road: Police arrested a 26-year-old man in a back yard and charged him with breaking and entering Thursday.

Contests, parade and food featured at County FairThe Howard County Fair will take place from Saturday to Aug. 21 at the fairgrounds in West Friendship.Along with food vendors, the fair will have a farm queen contest with judging set for 4:30 p.m. Aug. 17, a variety show amateur contest from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 19 and a county organizations float parade at 7 p.m. Aug. 20.Fair organizers also have scheduled a baby contest with judging beginning at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 21 and a pretty animal contest at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 15.Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for senior citizens (62 and older)

The Carroll County Farm Bureau is offering two $500 scholarships to students for the 1991 -1992 academic year.To be eligible, applicants or their parents must be members of the Carroll County Farm Bureau. Applicants also must be enrolled in an agricultural curriculum or be an entering freshman planning an agriculture-related course of study.Applications may be obtained from Philip Snader, P.O. Box 397, New Windsor, Md. 21776; the Farm Bureau secretary; high school agriculture teachers or the Extension Office.

Howard County Fair begins on SaturdayThe 48th annual Howard County Fair will take place from ~ ~TC a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday to Aug. 21 at the fairgrounds in West Friendship.Along with food vendors, the fair will have a farm queen contest with judging set for 4:30 p.m. Aug. 17, a variety show from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 19 and a county organizations float parade at 7 p.m. Aug. 20.Fair organizers also have scheduled a baby contest with judging beginning at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 21 and a pretty animal contest at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Eugene Mellin, an assistant fire chief at Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company, has been awarded the Silver Spring Trophy for fire prevention from the Maryland State Firemen's Association.The Silver Spring Trophy is the state association's highest individual fire prevention award."It's given to the person who does the most fire prevention in their community," Mellin said.As fire prevention coordinator for Mount Airy in 1995, Mellin started a Little Miss and Mister fire prevention contest for elementary school children, instituted year-round visits to neighborhoods and shopping centers, participated in the Christmas in April project and revived the Miss Mount Airy Fire Prevention queen contest.

Memorial Day is not only the official beginning of summer. In Carroll County, it's also the opening of the firemen's carnival season. Eleven of the county's 14 volunteer fire companies hold weeklong carnivals with rides, games, food, music and raffles. The carnivals are the companies' largest fund-raisers, helping to pay for such things as new equipment, maintenance and fire-prevention programs. Union Bridge and Gamber will start things off this week. Hoping for favorable weather, Gamber will offer a holiday fireworks display after dark tomorrow.

Lindsay McCaskill, a senior at Hammond High School, has won first runner-up in the Veterans of Foreign Wars State Buddy Poppy Queen Contest held Feb. 5 in Cecil County.Lindsay represented the Yingling-Ridgely Post and Ladies Auxiliary of VFW Post No. 7472.To qualify, Lindsay answered questions on the VFW "Buddy Poppy" flower that is made by veterans in veterans hospitals.The Ellicott City post has purchased the Buddy Poppies to usas decorations or sell on Veterans Day and Memorial Day weekends.