Perry County Fair

THE FRIENDLIEST FAIR IN OHIO!!!

Tonight I visited the Perry County Fair in New Lexington, Ohio and might I say it is the friendliest town I've ever been to. When I first arrived I was a bit lost but there were plenty of people who came to the rescue to point me in the right direction. After a tour of the grounds by the Senior Fairboard President I went to the steer show to help with the presentation of the grand and reserve grand champion awards. After that I stopped by the tractor pull and horse show before making my way down the midway. After filling my tummy with lots of great fair food and meeting tons of wonderful people, I decided to make my way home to prepare for my next fair! Thank you Perry County for making my trip so memorable and worth the while!

Ohio State Fair Sale of Champions Appreciation Luncheon

Thursday, July 17th 2008

Today I had the honor of attending the buyers' appreciation luncheon at the governor's residence in Bexley, Ohio. Among those in attendance were various sale of champion buyers and Ohio State Fair Board members and Ohio Expo Commissioners. Director of Agriculture, Robert Boggs, was also among those who attended the luncheon. It was a lovely event and a great time to mingle with friends and honor those who support the Ohio State Fair and its exhibitors. After lunch, the Governor said a few words and then concluded the meeting. Overall it was a great day and I feel so honored to be a part of it.

Carroll and Ottawa County Fair

Carroll County Fair

July 15th 2008

On Tuesday I headed north once again but this time I was heading for Carrollton, Ohio, home of the Carroll County Fair. That afternoon I was given the honor of crowning the new king and queen and their runner-ups. After that we then went for a quick stroll around the fairgrounds and visited all of the barns and exhibitor buildings. We even checked out the midway where a little boy got us with a stink bomb! It was a great day and looks like they will have great weather for their fair! Good luck to all the exhibitors and have fun!

Ottawa County Fair

July 16th 2008

Today I went up to Oak Harbor, Ohio, which is home of my 1st runner up, Rose Huskey. Rose and I met back in January at the Ohio Fair Managers Convention and got to know each other a bit through the queen's contest. Upon arrival I got to meet the newly crowned queen Ariel Estes and her King, Ruben Castillo, who gave me a tour of the grounds and then took me to the senior citizens luncheon where hundreds of folks came out to enjoy a great meal and a day at the fair. After helping serve lunch, I grabbed some of my own before heading off to help out with the beef show. While I was at the beef show I got to meet the 2007 Ottawa County Fair Queen, Miss Samantha Phillips, who will be running for my title in January, as well as Ariel.

Unfortunately during the beef show the electric went out across the fairgrounds and when I had left they still did not have power. Hopefully they got their power back up and running and were able to continue to put on another great Ottawa County Fair!

Jackson County Fair

July 14th 2008

Today I made my third and final trip to Jackson County for the royalty picnic and parade, which were held during their county fair. The royalty picnic was the first event of the day and was fabulous! There were so many queens and princesses from surrounding counties and festivals, so I definitely felt honored to be a part of this special event. I had the opportunity to sit with and get to know Chelsie Folden, Miss Teen Ohio USA, who was also an honored guest at the picnic. After eating some great food and getting tons of pictures we then began to get ready for the parade and crowning of the 2008 royalty court. After the long parade the wait was finally over and the queen and her court were crowned!

Congratulations to Rosa and to her court! I'm sure you will have a great year! Thanks for having me and see you in January!

Franklin and Adams County Fair

Franklin County Fair

July 12th 2008

Saturday evening I made the short drive to visit the Franklin County Fair for the royalty contest. Upon arrival I met up with a couple of senior fairboard members who gave me the grand tour of the fairgrounds. I learned a lot about the history of the Franklin County Fair, as well as got to see some of the new additions that they have made. While strolling around the fairgrounds I got to check out the exotic petting zoo, which seemed to be a huge hit with not only the kids but the adults too! I also visited the booth building and even voted as a guest judge for the best booth! At 7 PM the royalty contest began. Bob Nunnally and Monica Day, members of the Channel 4 News Team, were the hosts for the evening and announced the 2008 Royalty Court. Monica is also Miss Ohio USA, so of course I had to get my picture with her! Everyone was so friendly and despite the sporadic downpours of rain it was a great night at the fair!

Adams County Fair

July 13th 2008

On Sunday I made my second drive ever to Adams County for their county fair; however this time I was there for a slightly different reason. I was invited to be a part of their opening ceremonies and even got to say a few words. After the introduction of their royalty court and the official opening of the Adams County Fair, I made my way on down to the beef barn for the open beef show. After seeing a few fellow beef exhibitors and a friend of the OFMA I decided to split and head on home. Thanks to Dennis Plummer for making me feel welcomed and showing me around!

Logan County Fair

Today was another thrilling day on the fair circuit where I traveled to Bellefontaine, Ohio for the Logan County Fair. It was definitely a hot and sticky day but that didn't seem to stop people from coming out and enjoying the fair. Upon arriving on the fairgrounds I met Queen Jessica Frazure and some of her court who gave me a tour of the fairgrounds and then took me for some free pizza in the poultry barn! Soon after that we made our way to the sales arena for the start of the livestock sale where we helped pass out thank you cards to buyers. After the sale we headed on down to see the entertainment for the evening which was bull riding! The queen and I even got to announce the bull riders and bulls as they came ripping out of the gate. It was so exciting! A big thanks to all the people who showed me around the Logan County Fair and made my trip worth the while! Next stop is Franklin County on Saturday, July 12th for the queen's contest! Hope to see you there! And make sure you check out this cute video of some of the kids participating in a contest during a break from bull riding! Aren't they cute?

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY. COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY!

Trumbull County Fair

July 8th 2008

Well like they always say "The show must go on" and indeed it did despite the horrible storm that rolled in just about the time the opening ceremonies and crowning of the royal court were to begin. After about a half an hour spent in the ladies restroom on the fairgrounds, the storm finally broke and the ceremonies began! Although there was no power on the fairgrounds and everyone was soaked from head to toe, it didn't stop people from coming out to see who the next king and queen would be. After the crowning and some brief award presentations, I made a quick stroll around the fairgrounds and then got out of there because there was word another storm was heading our way!

Harrison County Fair

July 9th 2008

Well just when I thought I was driving away from the rain little did I know that Harrison County Fairgrounds was hit hard with the rain as well! But once again the shows went on and the people were right there with umbrellas in hand to watch the popular beef show. First up was showmanship and then the actual market show. They had a nice size show and the stands were full of people watching. Thanks to the junior fairboard members and county royalty for letting me help out with the show!

Lawrence County Fair

Well it was my first time to Proctorville, Ohio for the Lawrence County Fair on Monday, July 7th and I had a blast. Everyone was so kind and welcoming and really made me feel at home. My first privilege upon arriving was to not only witness the opening ceremonies and crowning of the new queen and princess but to announce the contestants and winners! Following that was a parade of all the 4-H clubs led by the newly crowned queens and myself. Somewhere in between all of that I also had the opportunity to catch up with Miss Gallia County who represents the county where our very own OFMA President Tim Massie resides. Before leaving I made a trip around the fairgrounds to check out all the projects and exhibits and even made my way over to check out the campgrounds! It was a great day to be at the fair and thanks to all the nice people from Lawrence County for making me feel welcomed! Next stop: Trumbull and Harrison County Fairs!!

Clinton and Madison County Fairs

Clinton County Fair

On Saturday I visited Clinton County Fair for the crowning of their 2008 Jr. Fair King and Queen! But before the crowning of the new king and queen I had a chance to catch up with last year's king and queen. However, this was not my first time meeting Clinton County Jr. Fair Queen, Kayla Alexander, because she is a former Ohio Beef Queen as well and a fellow lamb exhibitor. Before leaving the fair I had to stop in the beef barn and say hello to some old friends from my Beef Queen days who were preparing for the open beef show! Good luck guys!!

Madison County Fair

Sunday I traveled back to London, Ohio for the Madison County Fair where I helped to judge the Jr. Fair King, Queen and Princess Contest. Interviews were conducted prior to the fair but the onstage portion of the contest was held on that Sunday evening. Before the contest began a royalty picnic was held for all visiting royalty from surrounding counties. They had a wonderful turn out despite the extreme heat and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Congratulations to all the contestants and especially to the new King, Queen and Princess. Have a good week and enjoy yourselves!

Marion County Fair

Marion County Fair was booming full of excitement on Tuesday, July 1st with tons of shows and events taking place. Upon arriving I met with a senior fairboard member who showed me around and took me to my first event, which was the lamb show. There I had the opportunity to meet the Lamb and Wool Queen, Kelly Guthrie who was my escort for the day. I also had the chance to meet the Jr. Fair King and Queen, Luke Shepherd and Tiffany Bowman. After an interview with ABN farm radio, I snagged some stromboli from my favorite pizza guy and then headed off to the horse show to pass out some ribbons.

Thanks to everyone in Marion County for their hospitality and the cool name tag!!!