Queen competition draws to a close with fashion show

asmith@medicinehatnews.com As competition week draws to a close for the 2026 Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Queen, contestants look eagerly forward to crowning. Friday night saw both contestants deliver remarks for speech night both prepared and impromptu, before Saturday closed out the official competition events with the annual fashion show. Now that the whole event The post Queen competition draws to a close with fashion show appeared first on Medicine Hat News .

News Photos Anna Smith 2025 MHES Queen contestants Grace Sippola and Peyton Booker showcase their western style on Saturday at Higdon Hall during the fashion show portion of the 2026 Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Queen competition. asmith@medicinehatnews.com As competition week draws to a close for the 2026 Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Queen, contestants look eagerly forward to crowning.

Friday night saw both contestants deliver remarks for speech night both prepared and impromptu, before Saturday closed out the official competition events with the annual fashion show. Now that the whole event is over, contestant Grace Sippola says she feels, looking back, she’s unsure why she had been so stressed. “I feel it went really well.

Horsemanship, I prepared my horse, we had a couple bumps, but you take those as they come,” said Sippola. “Speech night didn’t go too badly, though I wish I practised more common questions. “The fashion show, I thought after speeches, felt like a breeze.”

Peyton Booker, the other contender for the 2026 MHES Queen title, echoed the sentiment, she felt she did well throughout the week, though she says her speeches were, “a bit rough,” and she is was proud of her progress as a person, regardless of who ends up taking the title. After the fashion show, however, she expressed gratitude for being able to take a small amount of time to rest before Stampede Week hits in earnest. “We would hit the stage and book it back into the change room, change and run back in our new outfits,” said Booker.

“We had, about I think it was two minutes, to change each time and none of the outfits had pieces in common. It was a lot of fun, but hectic.” Booker feels she and Sippola have formed a unique bond over the course of the competition, something she is glad to be able to carry forward, and she is confident either one of them will be able to represent MHES well.

This bond was reflected in an unusual moment for the fashion show, as both contestants took the stage together during a “retro” styling section, featuring outfits from the wardrobe of the 2003 MHES Queen. “We both went to Becky’s house. She’s the past royalty in 2003 and we picked out the retro outfits together that she wore during her reign,” said Sippola.

“It was literally before intermission. We were sitting there, and we looked at Becky and we’re like, ‘can we go out together, please?’ Because we both felt a little bit uncomfortable, and we know if we went out together, it’d be more comfortable and a better show for the crowd.”

With all of the events complete, all that remains is to wait for crowning, which will take place on July 24, in the dirt during the intermission of the Summer Pro Rodeo.