Fair Queen Preview: LeeAnna Butcher

LeeAnna Butcher
Name: LeeAnna Butcher
Club: LSHS Band
Escort: Andrew Lines

LeeAnna Butcher is representing the high school bands (including concert, jazz, and marching band) in the fair queen competition, and her love of both performing with the musical group and visiting the fair every year makes her an exceptional candidate. 

For eleven years now, Lea has enjoyed touring the fairgrounds with her friends. She respects the amount of work that the community puts into the event. Lea never tires of going to the fair because she has so many fond memories associated with it. One of her favorite activities is the All Western horse show. “[The show] reminds me of my home back in South Dakota. I’ve been riding horses western style since I was a kid.” 

Her personal favorite, however, is the art exhibit. But when Lea is not browsing the exhibits, she is working hard for her club.

Lea loves supporting the band any way she can, which is partially why she was chosen as their representative. She enjoys working at the burger stand because she gets to fundraise for the band and to see all of her friends that march with her. 

As a member of the marching band, LeeAnna must play in parades and in the stadium, but it’s never a chore. “I have looked forward to [performing at the fair] every year since 7th grade,” she mentions.

Lea thinks very highly of the fair queen competition, and said thoughts pushed her to volunteer for the opportunity. In the past, Butcher’s sister participated in the contest. After seeing all of the contestants enjoy themselves, Lea became interested in signing up. “I think [the competition] is great because it’s not a beauty pageant and it reflects solely on our personalities,” she says. It also gives people a chance to showcase their public speaking skills, which, unlike others, is what LeeAnna is most excited about.

Lea also is excited about demonstrating her culture to the community. As a Native American, her culture plays a big role in her life, and it has instilled in her a certain set of values. “Respect is the most important to me. I also believe in generosity, humility, honesty and wisdom. These are some of the core Lakota values.” After high school, Lea plans on attending Haskell Indian Nations University to major in elementary education and minor in American Indian studies and music.

LeeAnna Butcher hopes to come out of this competition with more experience in public speaking and with a sense of accomplishment whether she wins or not. 

She is grateful that she has been given this opportunity and honored that she gets to represent the band in this competition.

--Lillian Murr, LS News Editor-in-Chief
Edited: AZ

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