Junior Fair night honors family and tradition

TIFFIN — The Junior Fair board put together a beautiful ceremony honoring the tradition of the Seneca County Fair. In the Education building, the most anticipated event of the night was the crowning of the King and Queen. Alexander Fitzpatrick, incoming senior at Hopewell-Loudon High School, took home the King's hat and sash. Fitzpatrick was the only male contestant on the stage tonight, serving as an inspiration to other male students to join the 4H program. He said, "Just do it. It's fun, and it's going to be good for you. It's not like football where you get hurt and you don't want to do it again. Here, we're having fun every single day of the week. It's like a family here." Fitzpatrick is president of the NRLH FFA Chapter. He is looking forward to his senior year at Hopewell-Loudon and later hopes to attend Wilmington College to get a degree in an agricultural field. Addison Horner, a graduate of Mohawk, was crowned queen. She was thrilled to receive the title, reflecting on her childhood in 4-H. "It all started when I wanted to be goat princess. I tried three times before I got it." Horner's brother Trenton Horner was fair king several years ago, and was part of her inspiration. "It showed me that it is possible — that everything he does I would be able to do it too." In the fall, Horner will attend Heidelberg University to study exercise science and later complete the university's master's of athletic training. She is a 12-year member of the Blue Ribbon Buckeyes 4-H club and the Mohawk FFA Chapter. From her time in 4-H, she says she will take with her the confidence and public speaking skills she's gained from the tight-knit club. Horner explained, "my runner up, Alexandria Elchert, she was the one who gave me the final push to come out and get out of my comfort zone and try it." Elchert was the recipient of the 4-H Memorial Scholarship at the beginning of the night, along with court member Isabella Humphrey. The third member of the court was Laura Cook, also a member of last year's court. Joann and Lauren Gabel served as royalty superintendents and MCs for the evening. The Junior Fair Board president, Logan Snavely, presented two Volunteer of the Year awards to Bruce Henney and Ash Brainard. The Heart of Gold Sponsor went to the men of Cleveland Seed Service. The Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Sue Rainey. The Seneca County Advisory Scholarship awards went to Hayden Parker of Mohawk and Lauren Patronella, homeschooled. Parker is a highly involved student athlete who will attend the Ohio State University for Pre-Veterinary Studies. Patronella has completed several 4-H projects about preserving bee, butterfly and moth populations and will study Entomology at Ohio State. The other most anticipated awards of the night were the 3 Hall of Fame awards presented by the Seneca County Farm Bureau. Roger Lay presented a posthumous award to the family of Ron 'R.P.' Gosche, a respected family farmer from Bascom and the founder and VP of Crop and Soil Service. Then, John Bolte presented the lifetime achievement award to Duane and Roma King. They are the 12th couple to receive the award together in fair history, marking the 97th and 98th recipients of the award in total. The Junior fair evening was a testament to the hard work and passion of everyone involved at the fair, from young to old.