Four vying for 2015 Fair Queen

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Abbie Noble

Alyssa Backenstoe

Emily Daniels

Taylor Kirkpatrick

The four candidates competing for the title of 2015 Fayette County Fair Queen have been announced.

This year’s Fayette County Fair will be held at the fairgrounds from July 20 through the 25. With less than a month left, the process to select the queen has begun. The first step in this process is to fill out an application. Information such as a resume of the applicants’ junior fair accomplishments, written statements to specific essay questions and a photograph page must be submitted to even be considered for the role.

According to coordinator Lisa Schwartz, applicants will be judged not only on an application, but also on a personal interview and how well they do at public speaking. The best way to select a queen is to use a judge that has little chance of knowing any of the candidates, giving them all an equal chance to make a great first impression. A past Warren County fair queen has been selected and, after hearing the applicants during a personal interview and how well they respond during a public speaking engagement, she will determine who will be the queen and who will be attendants.

The public speaking engagement will be the annual Queen’s Tea to be held at the Mahan Building on June 30. The four young ladies will take turns answering questions and demonstrating skills the queen should have.

The candidates this year are:

– Abbie Noble, daughter of Tami and Andy Johnson, recently graduated from Miami Trace High School. In the fall, she plans to attend the Ohio State University and major in agriculture communications. During high school she liked to keep busy by being involved in various activities. These include tennis, Soundsations, symphonic choir, FFA, Spanish Club, Key Club, Superintendents Advisory Council, National Honors Society, library club, and the school musical. The past two years, Noble has been a part of the junior fair board and had the opportunity to be a 4-H Camp counselor. Summers for her have always been filled with taking care of 4-H projects, showing horses on the weekends, and making sure everything is in line for the fair. For the past seven years, she has taken market hogs to the fair, and for eight years she has taken horses. In her 4-H club, All-N-One, which she has been a member of for 10 years, she has had the honor of serving in the community service, safety, historian, news reporter, treasurer, vice president and secretary offices. At the fair, she has also competed in the Showman of Showmen competition three times, all of which she qualified through winning overall horse showman in the years 2009, 2011 and 2014.

– Alyssa Backenstoe, daughter of Donita and Scott Backenstoe, graduated from Miami Trace High School and has been an active 4-H member for 10 years. She is a member of the Pig Dudes 4-H club as well as a 4-H camp counselor. In high school, she participated in cheerleading, track and field, National Honors Society, Spanish Club, Key Club, and many other activities. Backenstoe was a scholar-athlete for all four years and was also recognized by the Academic Boosters Club for being one of the top 10 in her class. She is an employee at Detty’s Market and plans to attend Marshall University in the fall to major in pre-communication disorders and become a speech pathologist.

– Emily Daniels is a 2015 honor graduate from Westfall High School. She has been a seven-year member of Lucky Leaf Livestock 4-H Club, and a seven-year member of Fayette County 4-H. Daniels is currently the president of Lucky Leaf Livestock 4-H club. A fan of all things 4-H, she spends any free time in the barn with her cows, goats, and turkeys. Daniels said she doesn’t participate in 4-H for the victories, she does it because of how much she enjoys the people, and especially the animals. Nothing makes her happier than taking her animal into the ring and knowing that she tried the hardest to help her animal become the best it can be. Daniels said she also loves helping younger members with their projects, teaching them showmanship, as well as the importance of proper animal care and safety. Future plans for Daniels are to attend Xavier University and major in both finance and economics. She hopes to work on Wall Street as an investment banker, then move back to Washington Court House and become a 4-H advisor.

– Taylor Kirkpatrick, daughter of Todd and Tammy Kirkpatrick, has participated in 4- H for 10 years, which includes sewing, scrapbooking, as well as showing pigs at both the local and national levels. Her future plans consist of attending Wright State University in the fall where she will be studying athletic training. After receiving a bachelor’s degree, she plans to further her education and get her physical therapy assistant licenses. Kirkpatrick said she is looking forward to another successful Fayette County Fair and hopes to make it a memorable experience.

“We are very enthusiastic about this year’s fair queen contest and the upcoming Queen’s Tea reception,” Schwartz said. “We wish each of the candidates all the best at the Fayette County Fair and much success in each of their very bright futures.”

The 2015 Fayette County Fair Queen announcement will be made during the opening ceremony.

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