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ROYAL COURT
- PHOTOGALLERY:
The 2008 Canfield Fair - So far, fair assistance
faring well - 3 religious services
available to fairgoers - Bidding for quality and
the 4-H - Dragons, turtles, degus!
Oh my! - Royal court
- A trip to the
fair doesn't come cheap,
fairgoers say - VIDEO:
Jane Renkenberger - VIDEO:
Fair Mom - VIDEO:
Leroy's Sausage - 50 years at fair
bring honors for 2 - Wet rides, cow
kisses and tradition - Produce makes for
fair display - 2008 Outstanding Youth
Mahoning County
Junior Fair - Canfield Fair continues
long tradition - Admission and Ride
Prices - Health officials prepare
for fair
By ELISE FRANCO
The fairest of the 4-H candidates crowned
The 2008 4-H King and Queen said they were happy to be awarded for their hard work.
1Amelia Shrader, 18, of Berlin Center, and Jonathan Wilson, 16, of North Benton, were honored as this year’s king and queen.
The Royal Court began in 1954 after two junior leaders, Dick Buchwalter and Barb Summerville-Tohm, approached Chester Swank, 4-H agent, with the idea.
Janice Hanna, 4-H educator, said the king and queen are chosen based on many factors, including who the panel believes will make a good ambassador for 4-H throughout the year.
Shrader, who also won the title of 2008 Outstanding Youth, said she has been in 4-H for 13 years.
She is a student at Hiram College and said 4-H has always been a part of her family.
“It’s such a great thing to be involved in because you can start out when you’re in kindergarten and keep going when you’re out of high school,” she said.
Eventually Shrader, who is a member of the Western Reserve Rangers 4-H Club, said she wants to become an adviser.
“They’re all great people to work with,” she said. “After everything ... I want to give back to the community.”
Wilson has been a part of 4-H for 11 years and said taking care of farm animals was something he was born into.
“My grandfather had a dairy farm that my mom and my uncle both work on,” he said. “I was always around it and always involved.”
For Wilson, the best part of 4-H is the feeling of being rewarded for all he does.
“Through all the hard work, I am rewarded with fun at the fair every year,” he said. “And I’ve made so many friends that I get to see all the time because of 4-H.”
Wilson, a junior, plays varsity football and is on the varsity wrestling team at West Branch High School. He is also a junior adviser for younger 4-H members and said he, like Shrader, plans to stay involved in 4-H as long as he can.
“It would be really cool to be on the senior Fair Board some day,” Wilson said.
He and Shrader both agree that winning the title of 4-H King and Queen is something special.
efranco@vindy.com