Phillips Named Miss Illinois County Fair Queen 2026

During the 115th Annual Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs convention in Springfield this past weekend, Miss Effingham County, Krista Phillips, was named the 2026 Miss Illinois County Fair Queen.

Phillips was named the winner of the Effingham County Fair Queen Pageant this past summer and represented Effingham County well, taking the crown at the state competition, among 75 contestants. She will reign over the upcoming Illinois State Fair and the DuQuoin State Fair.

The daughter of Glen and Jeni Phillips, Krista, 21, attends the University of Illinois and plans to graduate this spring with a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing. She plans to return to Effingham after graduating.

Krista will spend her summer working for the Department of Agriculture, traveling to roughly 30 county fairs along with the state fairs, emphasizing the importance of agriculture and county fairs in Illinois.

Queen pageants run in the Phillips family as Krista’s two older sisters both previously reigned as Miss Effingham County. Kaylee Phillips won in 2021 and Shayna Phillips won in 2019. Both Kaylee and Shayna competed at the state level and finished second runner up.

Earlier in the convention, Effingham County was represented in the talent competition. Cole Burrell competed and placed 7th in the senior talent show division. Landon Berg competed in the junior talent division and performed very well.