2021 Fairfield County Fair Queen finalists interviewed for top spot as fair approaches

LANCASTER — As the Fairfield County Fair approaches, after being affected by the coronavirus pandemic, a small sense of normalcy returns to the Fairfield County Fair Queen competition.

The 10 Fairfield County Fair Queen finalists were interviewed by a panel of judges, in-person, at the Friendly Bremen Banking Center on East Main Street Tuesday night.

Each contestant had 10 minutes to answer questions about what the county fair means to them and why they should represent the junior fair board. The 2021 fair queen will be crowned at this year's junior fair panorama on Oct. 9 by 2020 Fair Queen Hannah Henry, which will also be streamed online.

Angela Krile, the volunteer coordinator of the queen contest, said the candidates are selected through questions on their applications that focus on 4-H or FFA participation, work in their community and schools, and then the interviews.

"The judges look at how well-rounded each contestant is, seeing how passionate they are about their schools and extra-curriculars, and especially about the fair. The junior fair queen serves as the bridge between all the animal shows and projects and then what makes up the rest of the fair, like the midway and what most of the general public does or sees," Krile said. "This contest isn't a pageant. While the candidates need to be able to present themselves, it's also about their ability to serve, to lead and to be the ambassador for the junior fair board.

"Hannah did such a good job as queen, even if her year was so challenging compared to other queens' years."

In her time as the 2020 queen, Henry said she had a chance to really focus on the animal shows without having to focus on the public.

"But they're really who make the fair so memorable, seeing all the people on the fairgrounds interacting with everything. It was nice to focus on the 4-H and FFA members, but it just felt like the county fair was missing something last year," she said. "I'm glad this year's court will be able to have something close to normal."

That normalcy included the interviews Tuesday night. In 2020, Henry and her fellow competitors were interviewed on Zoom, which she said was a "whole different interaction."

"It was awkward for most of us, never having done interviews like that before. I'm glad the contestants this year can do the interviews in person, which definitely has a more personable feel to it," Henry said. "They don't have to worry about cameras working, or if the volume is on. And hopefully the fair is back to normal as well."

After a year of events affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Henry said she was encouraged there were 15 applicants for the contest.

"The deadline was on a Friday, and by the Wednesday before we'd only had one applicant. But it was great to see there were people still interested in competing, because it sounds like they'll have a year full of events ahead," she said. "I know I had an interesting time visiting other fairs throughout the state, promoting our county fair, which was especially important since the 2020 fair was limited to the junior fair events."

She added she visited 16 other fairs as the junior fair queen, and also competed to be the 2021 Ohio Fairs' Queen, a contest between all county and independent fair queens.

Although she didn't win the overall contest, Henry said the contest was a great experience, taking the title of 6th District Representative, meaning she was one of the top nine contenders.

"When I decided to compete, I thought I'd just take a chance. I didn't grow up showing at the fair, but I thought anything was possible. And when I look back at the person I was to who I am today, it's incredible," Henry said. "So just because you may not think you look like the 'ideal' candidate, it doesn't mean you shouldn't try. It's a great way to grow.

"And I hope people do come back to the fair this year. It needs people, to show animals, make projects and just to attend. It's up to the public to keep the fair going. Other areas weren't as lucky as we were, but I know we have strong community support."

Krile said she loves seeing the candidates every year, which is why she keeps volunteering.

"Every year, I get to see these incredible young women, these young leaders, and it gives me hope for the future. They're always so supportive of one another, always cheering on one another one," she said. "And because the judges are from the community and know the fair, they pick the candidate who will represent the fair the best."

Queen candidates

• Morgan Cowdrey, 16, daughter of Quentin and Jennie Cowdrey. She attends Amanda-Clearcreek High School and is a member of Final Drive 4-H Club and Amanda-Clearcreek FFA.
• Kathryn Crow, 17, daughter of Lisa and John Crow. She attends Fisher Catholic High School and is a member of Unleashed and Pickerington PetPALS 4-H clubs and Bloom-Carroll FFA.
• Sofia Gugliemotto, 17, daughter of Janna and Gary Gugliemotto. She attends Bloom-Carroll High School and is a member of Rough Riders, Thurston Flying Fingers and Shooting Sports 4-H clubs and Bloom-Carroll FFA.
• Samantha Hurst, 17, daughter of Darren and Amy Hurst. She attends Berne Union High School and is a member of Blazin’ Buckeyes 4-H Club.
• Lexie Hyme, 17, daughter of John and Lisa Hyme. She attends Berne Union High School and is a member of Blazin’ Buckeyes 4-H Club.
• Jordyn Nevers, 18, daughter of Kimberly and Guy Nevers. She attends Kent State University and is a member of Carroll Country 4-H Club.
• Adriana Marie Rodriguez-Denner, 16, daughter of Jody Denner and Sindy Rodriguez. She attends Lancaster High School and is a member of Shooting Stars 4-H Club.
• Hannah Saum, 17, daughter of Dave and Robin Saum. She attends Amanda-Clearcreek High School and is a member of blue Ribbon Showmen 4-H Club and Amanda-Clearcreek FFA.
• Alyssa Swick, 18, daughter of Ralph and Crystal Swick. She attends Otterbein College and is a member of Pygmies Plus 4-H Club and Fairfield Union FFA.
• Grace Terflinger 18, daughter of Tom and Emily Terflinger. She attends Canal Winchester High School and is a member of Green Extreme 4-H Club.

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