Mount Ayr senior named Iowa Homecoming Queen

MOUNT AYR – Imagine walking down a runway in a strapless dress, all eyes on you. The lights are bright but so are the smiles.

Madison Hosfield, 18, is not a “pageant kind of girl.” She is active in volleyball, track, cheerleading, 4H, band and tech squad, among other activities, as a senior at Mount Ayr Community High School, and was named homecoming queen at her senior homecoming.

“That’s one of the things I enjoyed about high school, being involved,” Hosfield said. “The fact that I got involved and got myself out there to meet so many different people, (and) the fact that they wanted to vote for me, they knew who I was.”

Hosfield then entered America’s Homecoming Queen contest and became Miss Iowa Homecoming Queen March 17 at the competition in West Des Moines.

“This fall, when I was named our homecoming queen, I knew the girl that was Iowa’s Homecoming queen last year,” said Hosfield. “I saw her pictures on Facebook and stuff, and I asked her about it, so I had to fill out applications, kind of like a scholarship application. ... This winter I got my letter back saying I qualified as a finalist.”

In July, Hosfield will venture to Memphis, Tenn., where she will compete against 49 other girls for the title of America’s Homecoming Queen 2013.

“We recognized that there was an excellent group of girls that wanted to audition,” said Peggy Hester, America’s Homecoming Queen president. “There’s just so many things that happen with these girls. These girls are just ambitious (and are) the girl next door ... It’s just a good group of girls, it’s just wholesome all-America.”

America’s Homecoming Queen is a unique contest that only homecoming queens can enter, and girls are only allowed to participate once. The girls participate in an interview process and prom gown competition. There are no talent or swim suit sections. The girls also have the opportunity to perform during next year’s Liberty Bowl New Year’s eve.

Hosfield currently interns at the Mount Ayr Record-News, where she writes feature articles.

“I’m such a people person,” Hosfield said. “This spring I’ve been interning at our newspaper. I’ve been doing interviews with people, and that’s been fun and I just love talking to people and learning about them.”