Judges, emcee named for Peony Pageant

Van Wert Peony Festival information

The Van Wert Peony Festival Pageant Committee has named judges and the emcee for this year’s pageant, to be held at 7 p.m. this Friday, April 10, in the Marsh Foundation Auditorium in Van Wert. Judges include Jamie Allen-Ream, Marianne Hardesty, Rick Turner and Sharon Spinner, while Susan Burchfield will again emcee the event.

Allen-Ream, a Van Wert native, currently resides in Fort Jennings and attended college at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she earned her nursing degree. She currently works in the surgical department at Van Wert County Hospital.

Allen-Ream became active in theater at the age of 12 and was also vocally trained in classical and musical theatre repertoire. She has since competed around the state with theatre and music, and has taken home a various amount of awards. She continues to be active on and off stage at Van Wert Civic Theatre, where she sits on the Board of Directors, and with Jester’s Roving Players.

Allen-Ream was most recently seen on stage in A Taffeta Christmas and Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar and Grille. She was also the Youth Theatre director at VWCT for several years.

Allen-Ream herself competed in the Peony Pageant in 2006, representing Van Wert High School, where she was named the talent winner and first runner-up.

Hardesty grew up in Spencerville and graduated from Spencerville High School, as well as earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowling Green State University in English and journalism.

She worked extensively in the fields of marketing and travel, and is also licensed as a medical massage therapist in Ohio and managed 40 massage therapists at a large salon in Cincinnati for 10 years.

Hardesty returned to northwest Ohio to assist her parents with illness and began working with the American Red Cross in 2009. Her role with the Red Cross includes organizing and coordinating blood drives in Allen, Defiance, Paulding and Van Wert counties, while promoting the mission of the Red Cross. Her hobbies include travel, gardening and reading, in addition to spending time with family and friends.

Turner is currently director of Adult Programs at Apollo Career Center, a position he has held since July 2005. Turner has 30 years of experience in providing technical skills training for high school and adult workforce education students.

He earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Dayton and a bachelor’s degree in vocational education from the University of Toledo.

Turner has been actively involved in Lima Noon Optimists, serving on the board and as sergeant at arms. He has also been actively involved in state-level advocacy for career technical education, serving as president of the Ohio Association of Career Technical Education Post-Secondary Division.

Turner grew up in Wren and is a graduate of Crestview High School and Vantage Career Center. He currently resides in Elida with wife Theresa and three children.

Spinner is a native of Sidney and received her degree in music education from Ohio Northern University, with concentrations in both instrumental and vocal performance. While in college, she participated in the University Band and University Singers, as well as stage productions, and was one of the original members of the Children’s Opera Program.

She has spent the last 22 years teaching music in the Wayne Trace Local School District. The first 20 years she taught elementary music and beginning band at Grover Hill Elementary, while also being the assistant marching band/percussion instructor for the high school band during many of those years. She has also assisted or directed the high school musical for 12 years.

Most recently, she moved to the Junior High/High School to become director of bands and choirs there.

Burchfield is a licensed professional clinical counselor who has a private practice office located at 1054 S. Washington St. in Van Wert. She provides individual, martial, family, child, and adolescent counseling.

Burchfield is also a certified mediator through the Supreme Court of Ohio and co-creator of the A-OK (Assisting Our Kids) program. A-OK assists parents in developing a co-parenting business relationship when they no longer live in the same house. This program is offered in nine counties in northwest Ohio or online at www.assistingourkids.com.

Burchfield is married to Judge Martin Burchfield and they have two children: a son, Will, currently living in Los Angeles, California, and a daughter, Alex, who is a junior at the University of Dayton. She enjoys dancing, reading, and playing in the Praise Band at First United Methodist Church and being a member of the Van Wert Optimist Club.

“This is my third year of having this wonderful opportunity and I am really looking forward to the pageant.” Burchfield said. “I encourage everyone to come out on April 10 for this enjoyable and entertaining event!”

Tickets are $8 and are available at Once I Was in downtown Van Wert.