Jr. Fair royalty candidates announced

VW independent/submitted information

With the 2016 Van Wert County Fair quickly approaching, the Junior Fair Coronation Committee is announcing this year’s candidates for king and queen, as well as species prince or princess. The coronation ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, August 28, in the Entertainment Pavilion on the north end of the fairgrounds.

King candidate

There is only one candidate for Junior Fair king this year.

Joel Germann is the son of Doug and Marcia Germann and attends Crestview High School, where he will be a senior this year. He is active member of the Crestview FFA, of which he is currently president. Germann is involved in many other extracurricular activities at Crestview, including Scholastic Bowl, school musical, football, Knight Vision (Crestview show choir) track, and National Honor Society. He also had the honor of representing the Convoy American Legion Post at Buckeye Boys State this summer.

Germann attends Crossbridge Community Church and is actively involved in many outreach programs.

He is also a member of the Van Wert County Junior Fair Board, where he has served on the Awards, Barn Maintenance, and Animal Clinic committees and has also been the chair of the Goat and Public Relations committees.

Germann has shown goats for four years and has won multiple awards in showmanship, breeding, market, and dairy market goat classes.

Germann said he feels it would be an extremely rewarding experience to represent Van Wert County and the Crestview FFA as Junior Fair King, as it would be a great way to positively impact younger showmen in the county fair. His plans after graduation are to attend a four-year university double majoring in molecular biology and genetics.

Queen/species princess candidates

Macala Ashbaugh is the daughter of Rick and Dianna Ashbaugh and a senior at Lincolnview High School. While in school, Ashbaugh, a candidate for Junior Fair queen, is a member of Beta Club, FFA, National Honor Society, Agents of Change, and Student Council. She was also selected to represent Lincolnview at Buckeye Girls State.

She has completed in softball for five years and golf for three years, volunteers much of her time to the Lincolnview Latchkey Program and other numerous activities, and also works as a student aide.

She attends First Baptist Church of Van Wert and is a two-year member of the Hoaglin Farmers 4-H club, in which she holds the office of reporter, and was previously secretary and a five-year member of Leaders of the Future 4-H club. She helped both clubs with several community service landscaping projects.

Ashbaugh is also a member of the 4-H Buckeye Ambassadors team and is a three-year member of both the Van Wert County Junior Fair Board and Lincolnview FFA.

She also raises and shows market hogs, turkeys, and dairy feeders for her FFA project at the county fair. Ashbaugh’s plans upon graduation are to attend college and major in early childhood education and special education.

Maggie Cripe, a Junior Fair queen candidate, is the daughter of Doug and Sarah Cripe and will be a senior at Van Wert High School this year. She is actively involved at her school through soccer and band and attends Delphos First Assembly of God, where she helps with kids’ church.

4-H keeps her very busy, as she is a Buckeye Ambassador, on the 4-H Fashion Board, a camp counselor, Junior Fair Board, and president of her club: Junior Leaders. She plans to attend college majoring in digital multimedia.

Kaitlyn Hughes is the daughter of Brad and Susan Hughes and will be a senior at Crestview High School in the fall, where she participates in football and basketball cheer, Jazz Band, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, FCCLA, National Honors Society, track and field, and school musicals.

Hughes, a Junior Fair queen candidate, is involved with youth groups at Convoy United Methodist and Pleasantview Baptist churches. She is a member of the Junior Fair Board and is Sheep and Goat Barn superintendent, is a member of the Buckeye Ambassadors, and a 4-H camp counselor. Hughes is also president of the Van Wert County Interstate Exchange Club. In her nine years as a 4-H member, she has taken numerous 4-H projects to the fair, including dairy feeders, pigs, sheep, and goats. She has also taken other projects, such as cooking, sewing, and scrapbooking.

Hughes has volunteered in her community, most notably as a volunteer for the Van Wert County Special Olympics.

McKenzie Davis is the daughter of Scott and Amber Davis and a senior at Lincolnview High School. Davis, a Junior Fair queen candidate, is representing the Lincolnview FFA Chapter, of which she is currently president. She is also involved with 4-H, Junior Fair Board, was a camp counselor, Buckeye Ambassador, and belongs to many academic clubs. She is a member of Lifehouse Church.

After high school, she plans to attend college and major in agribusiness and minor in agronomy.

Ashley Dealey, daughter of Doug and Sarah Dealey, will be vying for the title of Van Wert County Junior Fair queen.

Dealey attends Crestview High School and is a senior this year. She is an active member in the Ohio Challengers 4-H Club, Junior Fair Board, and FFA, where she has held several offices. She has also been active at Crestview High School, where she plays basketball, volleyball, is a member of Knight Vision, FCCLA, National Honor Society, and earned a Scholar-Athlete Award. Dealey attends Convoy United Methodist Church and is very active in youth group.

She has shown dairy feeders for eight years and has received showmanship awards in the beginner and intermediate levels. She has also received the Junior Dairy Feeder Calf Herdsman designation. In 2015, Dealey received Champion Beef Female and the Reserve Champion Dairy Feeder Calf honors. Her hobbies include scrapbooking, dancing at Kim Hohman’s DanceWorks, going to the lake, hanging out with friends, and working at Pizza Hut in Van Wert. She said it would be an honor to represent Van Wert County as the 2016 Junior Fair queen and would be a great opportunity to be a positive role model for younger members in the county.

Her future plans include attending Bowling Green State University, but she is undecided on a major at this time.

Abbey Bradford is the daughter of Robert and Melissa Bradford and a junior at Van Wert High School. Bradford is a seven-year member of the Bunny Hoppers 4-H Club, where she is president and previously served as vice president. She is also a member of the Buckeye Ambassadors and has participated at the State Fair for the past three years in photography.

Bradford has been an Upwards cheerleading coach for four years and attends Mount Tabor Church of God.

Grace Richey, a candidate for Swine Princess, is the daughter of Summer Vettori and Patrick Richey and a senior at Lincolnview High School.

She is a past member of Leaders of the Future, where she was treasurer for two years, and is representing the Lincolnview FFA Chapter.

She attends St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Van Wert, is a member of the church youth group, and volunteers for various activities. Her hobbies include swimming and spending time with family and friends. Upon graduation, she plans to attend Rhodes State College majoring in early childhood education.

Laney Jones is the daughter of Steve and Trisha Jones and is a freshman at Crestview High School. Currently is a member of Ohio Challengers 4-H Club, Jones has been active in showing market hogs and is involved in various swine shows throughout the state. She has chosen to represent her species because education and promotion of the pork industry is important to her. Jones has had the honor of winning various awards throughout her 4-H career.

Nadia Pardon, a candidate for Goat Princess, is the daughter of Megan Pardon and a junior at Lincolnview High School. She is representing the Lincolnview FFA Chapter.

Pardon is involved in wrestling and pole-vaulting in school and a member of Beta Club. She attends Trinity United Methodist Church and helps in the preschool class, and is an auxiliary Fair Board director for the Van Wert County Fair. She also helps out on the family farm as much as possible.

Samantha Klinger, daughter of Bruce and Sandy Klinger, is vying for Poultry Princess. She is a freshman at Crestview High School.

Currently she is a member of Canines and Critters 4-H Club and serves as treasurer. Klinger attends First Baptist Church and is active in the church’s youth group.

Cassie Priest, daughter of Bob Priest and Kara Kreger, is a freshman at Van Wert High School and plays basketball. She is a member of the Shooting Stars 4-H Club and serves as vice president.

Priest, who shows horses and swine, is running for Equine Princess. She has qualified for the American Quarter Horse Youth World Show in Oklahoma for three years, including this year, and also has qualified for the Ohio State Fair the past four years and has placed in the top five each of those years.

Priest also has qualified for the quarter horse congress the past three years and placed 10th in pole bending last year.