This year four ladies from the North County will vie for the title of Miss California Mid-State Fair.

The annual Miss California Mid-State Fair pageant takes place the first night of the fair, Wednesday, July 23 at 6 p.m. on the Frontier Stage. The pageant is free with paid admission to the fair.

The field is smaller this year, with four girls competing for the title in 2008 after 14 competed in the 2007 pageant where Chelsea Haskins was named Miss California Mid-State Fair. Because of the smaller field, pageant director Patti Lucas said she is adding additional entertainment to round out the show. There will be several numbers from Class Act Dance and Paso Robles High School alum Jesus Solorio, who appeared last summer on the FOX reality hit “So You Think You Can Dance?,” will be singing a pair of musical numbers.

Solorio and Class Act Dance instructor June Greenawalt have also been working with the contestants as they prepare for this year’s pageant. Lucas, who is in her seventh year as pageant director, said it’s been a great group of girls to work with.

“It’s a very small group but they’re a good group,” she said. “They’re very mellow and all excited about running.”

This year, because of the smaller group, there will be just one runner up princess instead of the traditional two that have been selected in previous years. Lucas said attendees should expect another fun, entertaining show.

Another familiar face in this year’s show will be Greenawalt’s daughter, Ashley, who will again be competing in the pageant. Ashley, 18, who graduated from Templeton High School in June competed in the pageant last year. She said she decided to come back for another year because she found a platform she’s passionate about.

“I had a lot of fun doing it last year, but I was still unsure [about doing it again],” she said. “I started developing a platform in my head that meant a lot to me and it’s something I thought would be really important to bring to the fair.”

Ashley’s platform, “A Change of Heart,” was inspired by her father, Rick, who’s undergone three heart procedures the last four years. Since heart disease is the No. 1 killer among men and women, Ashley said she felt it was an important issue to shine a light on.

“[My platform] focuses on heart disease awareness and prevention,” she said. “I found out I’m at risk for heart disease, so I’d like to inform the public and anyone else who’s at risk about it as well.”

Ashley, a Santa Margarita resident, will be performing an original dance routine to Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love.” In the fall, she will be attending Westmont College and plans to major in biology. For now, she said she’s excited about once again participating in the pageant.

“I think it’s going to be really great,” she said. “Whoever wins I’ll be happy for them because they’re all really great girls.”

The most seasoned pageant contestant is Paso Robles resident Amanda Thorson, 22, who recently graduated cum laude from Cal Poly and will begin student-teaching at the Children’s House Montessori School of Atascadero in the fall. Thorson said she will also be spending time as a student-teacher at Santa Margarita Elementary School.

“I love the fair,” she said. “I thought [being part of the pageant] was a way I could be more involved.”

Thorson’s talent will be playing a dulcimer that she made herself. Like Ashley, the inspiration for Thorson’s platform came from a personal connection. Her platform, “Quilts For Cancer,” was inspired by her experiences when her mother, Suzanne, battled cancer. It’s aimed at early detection of breast cancer and would provide children with a chance to decorate squares of a quilt throughout the run of the fair that would then be auctioned. The proceeds of the quilt would go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

“When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, the support she received around here was just amazing,” she said. “I feel like a lot of women don’t get that support and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation provides that.”

Rounding out the pageant field are a pair of recent Paso Robles High School graduates — Tommy Loyd and Genesis Bell.

Bell’s sister, Erica, competed in the pageant the last two years, fueling her interest in giving it a go in 2008.

“My sister had a really great time and I wanted to have that experience before I left Paso Robles,” she said. “It’s been really fun and I like getting to know all the girls.”

Bell, a Templeton resident, will attend Sacramento State University to study early childhood development with a minor in dance. She will be performing a dance routine as her talent.

Bell’s platform, “Go Green at the California Mid-State Fair,” ties in with recent environmental concerns, such as global warming. It would involve a booth during the fair where children could receive prizes for recycling and learn more about the environment.

“I’ve been seeing all the work on recycling and conservation happening around the world and I thought it would be good to bring it to our town so we could bring more awareness to people,” she said.

Loyd’s platform also ties in to a need in the community — a need for blood donors. Her platform, “Community Involvement in Blood Donation,” was chosen because of the number of people blood donations help each year.

“My plan is to bring a blood donation station to the fairgrounds because it is free and accessible to the community,” she said.

Loyd, 17, will be performing a sign language version of the Beatles hit “Here Comes the Sun” as her talent. She learned sign language and decided to incorporate it into her talent because it has a personal connection.

“My mom was born deaf, so I decided it would be a good idea to sign,” she said. “I used to sign all the time when I was little, so I’m going to sign a Beatles song.”

For more on the fair, visit www.midstatefair.com.