MENDOTA - Due to the current rise in positive COVID-19 cases in Mendota, this year’s Sweet Corn Festival Queen Pageant has been postponed. It will hopefully be held at a later date.

Here are three candidates seeking the title of Sweet Corn Festival Queen.

Alison Schlesinger will be representing the Rotary Club of Mendota in this year’s pageant. She is the daughter Tod and Christine Schlesinger. She stands 5-10, and has blues eyes and blonde hair.

Schlesinger graduated from Mendota High School in 2020. She was active all four years in Mendota FFA Chapter, Chapter Officer for three years, 2016-17 Freshman Outstanding FFA Member and 2017-2019 FFA Chapter Scholar. She was also a member of Interact Club, where she was treasurer her senior year, was on Prom Committee, Homecoming Committee and also served as Student Council Vice President.

This summer you will find Alison working at the Mendota Golf Course where she helps with basic course maintenance. She can also be found helping with the family farm.  When she’s not working, you can find her spending time gardening, reading and writing short stories. She has a few small trips planned to Wisconsin this summer.

Schlesinger plans to attend Illinois Valley Community College in the fall and then transfer to Illinois State University.  She is seeking a Bachelor’s of Science degree pecializing in Agronomy and Agricultural Business.

The Mendota Business and Professional Women have selected Alli Stielow to represent it in this year’s pageant.  She is the daughter of Shawn and Angie Stielow of Mendota. She has light brown hair and blue eyes, and stands 5-9.

Stielow is a 2020 graduate of Mendota High School. She was a member of the tennis team for all four years.  She also was an active member in Interact Club, Student Council, where she served as President, cheerleading, and participated on the yearbook staff as editor-in-chief both junior and senior years.

She will be attending Northern Illinois University in the fall. She plans to earn a Bachelor’s degree in human resources.

This summer you will find Stielow working at the front counter at CVS being as a cashier.  She will also be spending time with her family and friends.

She enjoys traveling and baking, and especially loves spending time with her family.

Her plans for the future include graduating from Northern Illinois University and pursuing a career in human resources.

The Mendota Lions Club has selected Maren Wise as its candidate for this year’s pageant. She is the daughter of Scott and Elizabeth Wise of Mendota. She has hazel eyes and brown hair, and is 5-2.

Wise is a 2020 graduate of Mendota High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society, an Illinois State Scholar and a member of the Trojanettes Dance Team. She was a delegate at the 79th Annual American Legion Illini Girls Sate and received the President’s Award.

Wise plans to attend Illinois Valley Community College this fall.

This summer you will find Wise working at O’Connell’s Jellystone Park. She is also working for the Peru Parks and Recreation Department where she teaches dance fitness. When she isn’t working, Wise can be found spending time with her family.

Wise takes a major interest in doing anything related to dance. She participated in the Mendota Just for Kix program where she is also employed as an instructor and teaches ages 3-14 multiples styles of dance.

In her free time, she enjoys restoring furniture, gardening and reading.

Her plans for the future include finding a career path that’s rewarding and humbling. She would ideally like to help people and or animals. Wise added that she would like to continue being involved in dance and spending as much time with her family as possible.