MANSFIELD — Typically, the crowning of the Richland County Junior Fair king and queen is more of a democracy than a monarchy.
But this year, royalty ran in the family.
The 2023 Junior Fair King is Micah Miller of Rusty Riders 4-H and Shelby FFA, whose father was crowned fair king in 1998. The Junior Fair Queen is Sara Smith of Roaming Rovers 4-H, whose mother was crowned fair queen in 1997.
Miller and Smith said their parents didn’t have much advice from their own royalty experiences yet, but now that they’re officially crowned, they were both sure it was coming.
“I’m definitely excited,” Miller said. “It’s a good opportunity to be able to encourage these kids, maybe even to run for fair king in the future.”
Miller said one of his most memorable moments from the Richland County Fair was his first year showing a pig.
“I loved that pig very much and to be able to show it was amazing to me,” he said. “It’s not the best memory because I remember it getting taken away and I was definitely sad for a long time, but it was very enjoyable to take that pig.”
Smith said she hoped to gain good character building skills through her experience as queen.
“I hope to be a good role model for the next generation of leaders in this program, and I hope that I will become a better person by participating,” she said.
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Smith also noted it was a lot of work to get to the point of being crowned queen, and said she was looking forward to taking pictures with younger fairgoers.
First runner-up to the junior fair queen was Deborah Crouch of Cubs & Clovers 4-H, and second runner-up was Sofia Johnson of Freedom Wranglers 4-H and Shelby FFA. First runner-up to the king was Carson Secriskey of Roaming Rovers 4-H.
Other queen candidates included Vanna Burns of Ring Raiders 4-H and Shelby FFA, Kelsey Snyder of Rusty Riders 4-H and Shelby FFA, and Sarah Turner of Ganges Happy Hearts 4-H.
Judges for this year’s king and queen contest included Tom Stocksdale, second vice president of the Ohio Fair Managers Association and the Wayne County Fair Director; Connie Stocksdale, longtime Wayne County Fair volunteer and 4-H parent; Dana Yeager, president of the Richland County Safety Council; and Faith Galavich, former state FFA sentinel and top 15 in the state fair queen competition.
Outgoing junior fair royalty Carson Abbott and Caroline Tilton each shared their favorite memories of the past year, as well as a few words of wisdom.
“Fair king has its ups and downs, and you learn that when you become fair king or queen, your fair week is definitely very busy,” Abbott said. “You don’t have very much free time, but those busy moments is what makes it fun and memorable.”
Tilton said applauded the eight king and queen candidates for being braver than the 800 other junior fair exhibitors to even compete.
“There are some great attributes here at the Richland County Fair, and we should be proud of that,” she said. “I challenge all of us this week to leave the fair better than we found it. If we each contribute a little bit, the fair will grow, improve and prosper.”