GEORGETOWN – For most contestants to be the 2026 Jr. Queen of the Topsfield Fair, their challenge was picking a beautiful dress, getting over their nerves and having good answers to the questions the judges asked.
Zaalee Pottle also had a challenge to see as well as others.
It is not that Zaalee is completely blind. The beautiful young girl who won the hearts of the judges this year lives with cortical visual impairment (CVI) and epilepsy.
The Penn Brook School student has faced challenges that many children her age have never had to experience, he mother Tiffany said. With CVI, Zaalee can see, but her brain does not process the images the eye transmits.
“Despite those challenges, she continues to approach life with so much confidence, determination and joy,” her mother said. “Sometimes,” her mother said in an interview, “we don’t know that she is blind.”
Zaalee loves to dress up in bright colors and relished the chance to compete for one of the fair’s top youth honors. When her name was called as the winner, she did not realized she was the new Queen until she looked at her parents.
CVI is caused by damage to the visual pathways or processing centers of the brain rather than an issue with the eyes. It is the leading cause of permanent pediatric visual loss and blindness in developed nations.
Her mother said CVI is often misdiagnosed. The sight appears normal because the eyes can capture light and send signals, but the brain struggles to interpret them.
Zaalee told her parents she can see others in the room, but her eyes are captured by movement.
Her mother wrote, “Watching her get on stage and then hearing her name announced as Jr. Queen was an incredibly proud and emotional moment for our family. We would love the opportunity to share her story and celebrate this special accomplishment with our community.”
As the Queen, she and Kyrie Mercedes, 5, of Salisbury, who was crowned King for 2026, led the Topsfield parade, which the Pottles declared to be “awesome.” They will also represent the fair in various events all year, including another parade in Beverly and possibly the Santa parade here. She and Kyrie will also be on hand next fall to crown the next Jr. Queen and King.
It was not her first time to compete to be the Junior Queen. She entered the contest last year, but did not win, which did not dissuade her from trying again this year.
She learned from the first year to speak directly into the microphone this year when she was asked questions like what is her favorite ice cream and what is her favorite subject at school. She loves anything related to art, her mother said. And if you want to win her heart, load up a cone with Gummy Bears, chocolate sauce and sprinkles. For winning, she and Kyrie received a bicycle, a medal and a trophy. ©
