The Fayette County Fair began Sunday evening with Abbie Noble being named the 2015 Junior Fair Queen.
The junior fair board president, Riley Evans, started the opening ceremony at 5:30 p.m. at the McDonald’s Grandstand with an introduction of the 2015 Royal Court, beginning with the commodity queens. All court members entered the grandstand on boats being pulled by trucks in the spirit of the theme for the junior fair, “Cast Away.”
Dairy Princess, Victoria Schappacher; Goat Ambassador, Virginia Schappacher; Small Animal Queen, Ginna Climer; Beef Queen, Sydney Miller; Pork Industry Queen, Caroline Hughes; Horse Queen, Bethany Reiterman and Lamb and Wool Queen, Abbi Pettit, were introduced.
Finally, the four in the running to become fair queen were introduced. Taylor Kirkpatrick, Emily Daniels, Alyssa Backenstoe and Abbie Noble took their places on the stage.
Evans continued by introducing guests, including sheriff’s Office representatives, county commissioners, state senators, and many other community leaders, who were thanked by the junior fair board president for attending. Leaders of the OSU Extension program and of the senior fair board were introduced as well and thanked for all of their hard work in organizing the 136th Fayette County Fair.
Senior Fair Board President Robert Schwartz was then introduced. He awarded a plaque to Jim Oughterson for his work in managing the fair gates for the senior fair board in conjunction with the Kiwanis Club for 39 years. Oughterson said he will miss this year due to surgery and said he hopes to return next fair to complete his 40th year.
The announcement of the fair queen and attendants was made by 2014 Fair Queen Hannah Peterson. She spoke to the crowd and queen candidates prior to the announcement.
“As I look back and reflect on my time as fair queen, I think of all of the awards and fun I had,” Peterson said. “But in the end it isn’t about the awards or even this crown, but instead it is about the memories you make. Girls, whatever the outcome of the announcement I will make, remember to make the most of this week.”
After Kirkpatrick, Backenstoe and Daniels were announced as attendants, Peterson then completed the honor of crowning Abbie Noble the 2015 Fayette County Fair Queen. Noble shows horses and market hogs at the fair.
“I am so honored. This is always something I have dreamt of as a little girl and I just can’t even believe it,” Noble, a 2015 Miami Trace graduate, said with a smile running ear to ear. “I was running up against some amazing girls and I was so nervous. It just feels amazing. When I was little I used to look up to the fair queen and want to be her and now that it has happened, it is just an amazing feeling.”
