GALLIPOLIS — Natalie Holmes is the new Little Miss Gallia County, with Justin Howes sharing the throne with her as 2009’s Little Mr. Gallia County.

The selections were made at the end of the annual Little Miss and Mr. Gallia County contest Monday at the 60th annual Gallia County Junior Fair. The contest is sponsored by the Gallipolis Lions Club.

Holmes is the daughter of Erin Painter and Rick Holmes, while Howes is the son of Dewey and Tammy Howes. As Little Miss and Mr., they will represent Gallia at various fairs and events for the coming year.

Their selection occurred as 2008 Little Miss Olivia Harrison and Little Mr. Mason Angel presided over their last event with those titles.

Runner-up for Little Miss is Sydnee Runyon, daughter of Steve and Kim Runyon, while the Little Mr. runner-up for 2009 is Colton Caldwell, son of Chip and Debbie Caldwell.

They were chosen from a field of 20 candidates for Little Miss and 14 for Little Mr., all of them interviewed on stage by master of ceremonies and Lions member Jeff Fowler.

Carrying on a tradition that has marked the contest since the Lions assumed sponsorship shortly after the Gallipolis chapter was founded in 1956, Fowler asked various questions of the candidates.

The questions ranged from if and why they got in trouble at home, their favorite teacher and activities, and what they liked about the fair.

One of the Little Miss contestants offered an ambitious career goal in response to a question — she wants to be a baby doctor and ballerina at the same time.

The Little Miss contest started at the fair in 1954, and in the following years was joined by the Little Mr. competition.

Organizers of the contest offered their thanks to Beth Vinson Moore for her decorations of the chairs for Little Miss and Mr.

The decorations were in memory of her mother, Amy Saunders Vinson, a 1966 candidate for Miss Gallia County, a 4-H advisor and ardent supporter of the fair.

Beth Vinson Moore was 1995’s Miss Gallia County.