CLEARFIELD – The contestants for the 2010 Clearfield County Fair Queen were introduced at the Queen’s Banquet which took place yesterday at 6 p.m. in the EXPO II building.
Emcee Bob Day introduced each of the contestants in the 22nd annual fair queen contest and each gave a short speech about herself. Contestants included: Stephanie Neeper who has a desire to work in forensics or FBI related fields; Yvonne Bush, who said she would like to own a bed and breakfast; Carrie Flanagan, who has been a runner-up in a previous competition; Melanie Swartz, who is extremely involved in band and chorus; Abby Lee, who hopes to pursue a career as a nutritionist or psychologist; Katharine Dixon, who will be studying dental hygiene at Penn College; Haley Kephart, whose favorite memory from past fair queen competitions is having the opportunity to meet Dierks Bentley; Jessica Baney, who is interested in the importance of music education in public schools; Elizabeth Berlin, a state ranked rifle shooter; Misti Bruner, who has spent a lot of time babysitting; Darcie Grenier, who is interested in joining the air force or attending IUP; and Cassie Renaud, who hopes to become a registered nurse.
After the introduction of this year’s contestants, 2009 Clearfield County Fair Queen Rachel Syktich gave a message of encouragement to the ladies following in her footsteps and shared a video presentation showcasing the duties and activities from her year as Queen.
Syktich and her court helped raise $20,000, contributing to the over $108,000 raised in the last nine years for the Children’s Miracle Network s Queens for Kids project. Vanessa Houser, coordinator of Geisinger’s Children’s Miracle Network discussed the Queen’s for kids project’s fundraising efforts, which the new court will take on as well. According to Houser, as a community group, Clearfield and Altoona alone were the single largest contributors, raising $665,000. Overall, the entire Geisinger Market has raised 2.3 million, with money being invested back into the community for pediatric clinics, child life services in hospitals, and new machinery.
Guest speaker Samuel E. Hayes, Jr., former Pa Secretary Dept. of Agriculture discussed other challenges that the 2010 Fair Queen and court will face. He humorously discussed the difficulties of raising young lambs, a task the new queen will face, saying, “Raising a lamb can be a traumatic event,” and asked Fair Queen contestant Misti Bruner give a practice medicine syringe to an audience member playing a sheep. Hayes’ main point was not about sheep, but rather, he stressed the fact that it takes a lot of effort from both contestants and the community to make the fair and the Queen contest a success.
Hayes stressed the effort it takes to run such a program, but said the programs like this are important in teaching young people good leadership skills, making them responsible for their actions, and just keeping them out of trouble. They also train young people for the future and help them develop an obligation to give back, reasons that Hayes cites them as highly important events.
Furthermore, Hayes noted the strength of the Clearfield County Fair and its Fair Queen program in comparison with others, saying that the Fair Queen Program is “the best program of its kind in Pennsylvania” and that if anyone wants to be state fair queen, they have to “reckon with Clearfield County.” He praised the fair itself, a “great agricultural expo” that isn’t lacking anything. Especially important is the fact that the fair continues to provide an exposition which prioritizes agriculture, a key component of its origin and the strength of our nation.
The Fair Queen Contest will be held Aug. 1 at 3:00 p.m.