“Amazing” was the word that came to Clara Hansen’s mind after the shock of being named this year’s Little Miss Friendly, the living logo of the Southwest Washington Fair.
“It just feels amazing,” she said.
Clara, 10, received the blue cape from outgoing Little Miss Friendly Emma Britton during a ceremony at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds on Tuesday, the first day of the fair.
In her goodbye speech Tuesday afternoon, Emma thanked her sponsors and shared some of the highlights from her year as Little Miss Friendly, including parades and the Miss Lewis County contest.
“Being your 2022 Little Miss Friendly has been a great adventure. I got to meet so many people and experience a lot of fun events,” Emma said.
The people are what she’ll miss the most about the experience, she said. Emma gave special thanks to 2022 Miss Lewis County Briana Rasku, saying, “Thank you for being like a big sister to me and always supporting me and encouraging me.”
Emma also thanked her parents and her sister for their support during the busy year.
As far as advice for the 2023 Little Miss Friendly, Emma said, “Enjoy handing out stickers, take lots of pictures and have the most fun you can.”
Clara took the stage Tuesday with the other four Little Miss Friendly finalists: Aria Hoffman, 10, Emma Elder, 9, Kimber Serl, 8, and Riot Anderson, 10. All five girls received goodie bags and plaques, and Clara received a bike, courtesy of The Silver Agency.
Little Miss Friendly embodies the fun and friendly atmosphere of fair week, according to the fair.
Her duties don’t end at the fairgrounds, however. Little Miss Friendly will hold her title for a year, appearing in parades and other community events before another full week of fair attendance following the passing of her cape.
In her application, Clara said she wants to be Little Miss Friendly because, she wrote, “I would enjoy the social events, and I want to prove to myself that I can do hard things.”
Clara attends Napavine Elementary School and wants to be a professional cat-cuddler when she grows up.
“It’s a real job, and you can actually make a lot of money,” she said.
Her parents are Micah and Rebecca Hansen and her siblings are Simon, Adele and Luke.
Clara lists her interests on her application as reading, piano, baking, arts and crafts, and writing.
Her favorite book is “The Five Names: The Restoration Chronicles,” which was written by her late grandfather, Robert Hansen.
The Southwest Washington Fair runs through Sunday. Learn more about the fair at https://southwestwashingtonfair.org/.
