Royalty relish achievements, fair memories

Ten young men and women were on the 4-H Royal Court.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- The Canfield Fair celebrated the accomplishments of youths Thursday.
Before a crowded audience at the stage near the grandstand, Mahoning County's 4-H youth program chose its 2005 king and queen from a royal court of 10. This year's winners are Carol Ann Pitcairn, 17, of Berlin Station, and Michael Gorby, 19, of Berlin Center.
The Canfield Junior Fair also chose two winners from this year's Outstanding Youth Court of 11. They are Katie Houk, 19, of Springfield Township, and Andrew Yocum, 19, of North Lima.
Queen
Pitcairn is the daughter of James and Diane Pitcairn. She has belonged to the Western Reserve Rangers 4-H Club for 10 years and is now its president. She is a senior at Western Reserve High School and is attending Youngstown University full-time. Her 4-H projects included sewing, genealogy, public speaking and consumer education. Her livestock projects include hogs, turkeys and chickens. She intends to pursue degrees in Spanish and secondary education.
Pitcairn said her fondest memories of 4-H include time she spent with her two younger sisters while they showed animals at the fair. She also enjoyed participating in a speech contest at the Ohio State Fair.
"It's really an honor [to win], and I want to congratulate everyone on the royal court," she said.
King
Gorby is the son of Wayne and Pam Gorby. In 4-H for 10 years, he is a member of the Mahoning Valley Horsemen 4-H Club. He is on the Canfield Junior Fair Board, the Junior Saddle Horse Committee and several equine teams in the county. A graduate of Western Reserve High School, he is a sophomore at YSU. He majors in early childhood education.
"My fondest memories are of raising animals and being with friends, and having a wonderful life in this program," he said. "This is the best honor I've ever experienced."
Outstanding youth
The Outstanding Youth Court comprised two representatives from Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Future Farmers of America, Camp Fire U.S.A., the Mahoning County Grange and the Mahoning County Farm Bureau.
Houk represented 4-H and was the 2004 4-H Queen. She is the daughter of George and Kathy Houk. She has been a member of the Springfield Booster Boys for 13 years and has been a club officer every year. She was a floor director for Youth Expo and is a 4-year member of the junior fair board. She has won many outstanding-of-the-day awards at the Ohio State Fair. She has been a showman of showmen winner, skillathon winner and showmanship winner with beef and swine. A Springfield Local High School graduate, she is a sophomore this year at Ohio State University. She hopes to become a large-animal veterinarian.
"Being in 4-H for 13 years, I've gotten to experience everything," she said. "Being crowned 4-H Queen was most memorable."
Yocum represented Boy Scouts in the Outstanding Youth contest. He is the son of Troy and Kris Yocum and has been a Boy Scout for eight years. He is an Eagle Scout and an Order of the Arrow Brotherhood member. A 4-H member, he was the 2004 4-H King. He has won outstanding-of-the-day awards at the Ohio State Fair and was a clock award winner in first aid. He is a member of the Police Explorers and Beaver Township Fire Department. He was home-schooled and is now a sophomore at Kent State. He plans to go to medical school to become a trauma surgeon.
He said he enjoyed his time in Boy Scouts with his friends "staying up late around the camp fire."