Chelsea Teen Hannah Linteau Named 2011 Fair Queen

After attending the Chelsea Community Fair for as long as she can remember, resident Hannah Linteau is now the queen of the annual event.

Hannah, a sophomore at Chelsea High School, said she was shocked when Kennedy Aldrich, the 2010 queen, called her name at the fair pageant on Friday.

“It’s one of those moments you never really prepare for,” she said. “It was a tough competition. All of the girls had a lot of talent.”

Hannah competed alongside Chelsea Brown of Dexter and Amanda Johnson, Morgan Kern and Michelle Flaugher, all of Chelsea. Pageant judges ranked the girls on several categories including talent, poise, interview, onstage questions and community service.

Hannah said entering this year’s pageant was a last-minute decision after being approached by pageant coordinator Danielle Hale two weeks ago.

“I’ve always had an interest in (the pageant) and thought it would be cool to participate, but between school and work, I stay pretty busy,” she said.

No stranger to the fair, Hannah said she has been attending the week-long event for more than 10 years. For the past five years she has competed in the youth horse show and this year also competed in the exhibit tent. Linteau won first place in photography and received ribbons for pottery and flowers.

“I love the fair,” she said. “When I was little, I was coming for the rides. Now I really enjoy showing my horse.”

Following Friday’s pageant, Hannah also attended the demolition derby and tractor pulls and rode in the Chelsea Fair Parade on Saturday. She will also ride in the Saline Community Fair parade this week and attend various events around Chelsea throughout the year as part of her duties. Next year she will crown her successor in the 2012 pageant.

When she’s not in class, Hannah spends her free time tending to her family’s horses as well as teaching young children basic horse care and riding technique.

“I’ve always had a love for horses,” she said. “I was born in Dallas, Texas and my mom says I’ve had a natural draw to horses.”

She said balancing work, school and horse lessons can be daunting.

"It's not like I can blow off the horses one day," she said. "A lot of times I have to say no to things people want me to do just because I don't have the time. My schedule pretty much revolves around class and the horses."

After high school, she said she plans to study veterinary science and hopes to become a veterinarian.

"I'm not sure if I want to be a large animal or small animal veterinarian, but I love working with animals," she said.

Hannah is the daughter of Mark and Marguerite Linteau of Chelsea.