Like mother, like daughter: Cape women win look-alike contest at fair

The judges must have seen something Tamara and Winnie Smee didn't.

The two Cape Girardeau women won first place Tuesday evening in the mother-daughter look-alike contest at the SEMO District Fair.

"We don't see [the resemblance] as much, but other people do, so I thought we might as well enter," Winnie Smee, 18, said as she and her mother stood outside the activities tent in matching magenta shirts and skinny jeans.

Tamara Smee said she let her daughter keep their winnings to use at the fair.

"I figured if she's 18 and wanted to do this with me, the least I could do is give her the prize money," she said.

Amber Scudder and her daughter Emma stand outside the activities tent at the SEMO District Fair where they took second place in the mother-daughter look-alike contest. More photos of the fair are in galleries at semissourian.com. (GLENN LANDBERG)

The pair had plenty of competition as 12 mother-daughter teams vied for the title.

Amber Scudder and her daughter, Emma, 8, of Sikeston, Missouri, placed second in matching green-and-white sundresses and pink sequined belts.

"We made those, didn't we?" Amber Scudder said of the dresses.

Her daughter was quick to give credit where it was due.

"She made them," Emma Scudder corrected.

"You helped," her mother said.

"I picked everything out," Emma acknowledged.

Heather Norris, 17, and her mother, Carla, also of Sikeston, took third place in matching Redhawks jerseys.

The Norrises said they are used to being told they look alike.

"We get told it all the time. Every day, almost, when we go out," Carla Norris said.

An event organizer said the competition has been part of the fair for the past four years.

"It grows every year," Robin Marberry said.

Similar contests for fathers and sons and for twins are planned for this evening, she said.

Fair volunteer Myron Bohnert stood at the gate, using a lap counter to keep track of attendees.

Nearly 2,000 people had passed through the gate between 4 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, he said.

Many of the visitors were there for a concert by contemporary Christian artist Jeremy Camp, Bohnert said.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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