TOPSFIELD — Two brown-eyed, happy children left the fairgrounds last weekend with crowns on their heads and trophies in their arms.
Newly crowned as the 2009 Junior King and Queen for the Topsfield Fair, 5-year-old Meaghan Shea of Salisbury and 8-year-old S. Lee Dalzell of Rowley, will reign for the upcoming year. They are the newest royalty to represent the fair.
Meaghan, the daughter of Barbara and Bob Shea, has a twin sister, Kerrin, who was crowned Little Miss Seabrook 2009, during Old Home Days in Seabrook in August. For the Shea girls, entering contests comes naturally. Their mother, who was Mrs. Essex County 1994, served as the official hostess of the Topsfield Fair. She is a teacher at Salisbury Elementary School, where the girls attend kindergarten.
Meaghan loves NASCAR and wants to be a race-car driver when she grows up. She loves Topsfield Fair and likes all the fast rides. She dances ballet, has a brown bunny named Boppy and rides horseback.
Lee, who said his first name is actually Stuart, is the son of Stuart and Mary-Clare Dalzell of Rowley.
"I go by Lee because my dad and my grandfather are both named Stuart, too, and Lee is easier to spell," he said with a laugh, adding that he can say his last name backward. His mother said Lee is a true farmer. He and his brother, Michael, grew pumpkins and sold them at the Farmers Market in Rowley.
He has two ponies, Clue and Stormy, two sheep, Hattie-Mae and Hannah, who is blind, and Becky-Lee, a beagle.
"My grandmother takes the wool and spins it," he said. Lee, who was born with a form of spina bifida, has had surgery three times to correct the problem and may need further surgery in the future. He has also struggled with a speech disorder that affected the muscles of his lips, mouth and tongue. He used a speaking device to communicate his needs and did not speak at all until he was 3.
After thousands of hours of speech therapy, Lee instantly comes across as a chatterbox who loves conversation. Ask him about Cub Scouts, and he'll quickly tell you about his activities with Den 9, Rowley Pack 15, how he will soon be getting his Wolf Badge and helping younger Scouts for his Lone Tree District.
Lee, a second-grader at Newbury Elementary School, was excited and happy that his friend Brendan Spencer, 5, of Byfield, the runner-up this year, attends the same school, Newbury Elementary School.
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