The May Day Queen and Tiny Princess competitions give young women and girls within Merced County the opportunity to represent the Central Valley at the Merced County Spring Fair. A group of judges who do not personally know the contestants or reside within Merced County will select the competition winners.
The Tiny Princesses may be young, but they put in a lot of preparation to compete. Their competition includes three portions: western wear, the pink rose portion and formal wear. During western wear, the contestants are introduced, in the pink rose portion, they must create an outfit without spending money and during formal wear, the Miss May Day competitors have their biography read aloud as they walk the stage.
Each girl competing for the Tiny Princess title is asked an impromptu question to show their true personality to the judges.
Harper Creighton, the 8-year-old Tiny Princess competitor, has been showing cattle and sheep at the fair for the past three years. She will be participating in the Tiny Princess for the first time, alongside her cousin, 5-year-old Elanor Conway.
“Just like I told you, my friend who did it before had a bunch of confidence. She won, and it just inspired me,” Creighton said.
Tiny Princess competitor Payton Oliveira has been a dancer for three years and enjoys showing animals at the fair. She is particularly looking forward to the formal wear portion of the competition.
The 2026 May Day Queen competition has two candidates, Karley Rocha and Jaci Bretz.
Rocha is a 17-year-old senior at Los Banos High School, and her hobbies include volleyball and Future Farmers of America (FFA).
She is very involved in the California Junior Holstein Association, where she serves on the national competition team. She is also the District Four dairy princess. Growing up, she looked up to the previous Miss Maydays around the fair.
“I’ve grown up showing and being at the fair, and they were always someone that I’d look up to. And being at every event, helping the kids, I love how connected they are with the little Miss Mayday and inspiring the younger kids,” Rocha said.
She stated that if she were crowned May Day Queen, she would want to be the kind of role model who inspires the local kids to get more involved in their agricultural roots.
Bretz is a senior at Los Banos High School. Her hobbies include competitive swimming, tennis, golf, reading and showing animals.
As a little girl, she showed rabbits through the 4-H program and started showing market sheep in high school. Because her dad is an FFA advisor at the high school, she was interested in getting involved.
She was crowned the 2025 Las Vegas FFA sweetheart and became her chapter reporter for her junior year.
“I know if I get crowned Mayday, I’d have to be at a lot of the awards and events. While I’m doing that, I’m also a part of the Merced County Spring Fair Heritage Presentation team. I think that’s one of the biggest ways that I could get out there and spread the word to our community,” she said.
As the competition approaches, both the May Day Queen and Tiny Princess Candidates are eager to represent their community through their participation. Each girl brings her own personality, talents and dedication to this event.
More than just a pageant, this competition highlights leadership, poise and tradition. The crowned winners will not only hold the title, but the responsibility of representing their community and carrying on the traditions Los Banos holds dear.
