2026 rodeo queen sets new record in ticket sales
Updated: Aug 10
Correction: In an earlier version of this story Tegan Harris' name was misspelled.
By Roger Sims, Journal staff
MOUND CITY – Jayhawk-Linn senior Chloe Riley, one of four queen candidates, set a new record in advance ticket sales for the Linn County Fair and Rodeo over the past several weeks.
A final push to sell tickets by Chloe and the ability to claim ticket sales by outlets across Linn County and in Paola, boosted her total ticket sales to a record $28,579 in tickets, eclipsing a record $21,281 set two years ago by more than $7,000 dollars.
Chloe and the other three queen candidates had a combined $42,033 in ticket sales, the third highest in the history of the queen competition.
The families of the candidates include, clockwise from upper left, Chloe Riley with parents Bonnie and David Riley, Alyssa Daza with parents Linda and Jeff Cornelius, Tegan Harris with mother Amanda Maloney, and Kylie Freeman with dad Ebb Freeman.
In addition to record sales, Chloe’s crowning on Saturday, August 1, was remarkable as well. Her mother, Bonnie Riley, was the 1988 Linn County Fair queen. Bonnie Riley said that she remembered that happening in the late 1980s, but she wasn’t sure if it had happened before that. She said that aunts and their nieces had both earned the queen crown.
Team Chloe gathers for a family photo following the coronation. In addition to Chloe and her parents, the team included her grandmother Edna Troth, seated, and the Troth family, back row from left, Eric, Tina, Zach, Nate, and her grandfather, Ernest Troth. The back of t-shirts supporting Chloe's candidacy made supporters like her uncle Zach a walking billboard.
Bonnie and her camera are a familiar sight both at the fair every year and at activities around Jayhawk-Linn High School through the school year.
Second place in sales went to Alyssa Daza, third place to Kylie Freeman and fourth place to Tegan Harris. All four of the queen candidates will be seniors at Jayhawk-Linn High School this fall.
Members of the royal court have be seen around the fair during the whole week of activities, helping with events and passing out ribbons.
The girls also receive 10% of their ticket sales totals, according to Wade Teagarden, a member of the Linn County Fair Association who has overseen the contest for several years.
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