CLEARFIELD – Taylor Rae Goodman of Curwensville ended her reign as the Clearfield County Fair Queen on her birthday. She celebrated by crowning Chelsea Folmar of Luthersburg as the 26th fair queen Sunday at the grandstand stage.
Folmar has competed in four consecutive fair queen competitions. She was first runner-up last year and in 2012; she was second runner-up in 2011. Folmar will be joined by first runner-up Lyndsey Good of DuBois, who was last year’s second runner-up, and second runner-up Abby Jamison of Luthersburg.
“It’s a huge honor [to be Clearfield County Fair Queen],” said Folmar. “I was in the court the last three years. You’re just trying to breathe up there. You want to hear your name in that moment. This is just the icing on the cake for me.”
During her speech, Folmar described her fair as the place to cherish the community’s heritage and to treasure family memories. Once upon a time, she said there was a little girl who went to her first-ever county fair to watch the fireman’s parade.
That little girl, Folmar, stared up at the big fire trucks and filled with excitement over the Jaffa Shriners in their little cars. She waved at the large and colorful floats and chased after the candy tossed her way as the parade passed by.
Folmar remembered her father leaning down and whispering in her ear “the secret to the princess wave.” Now, she said that same little girl is “no longer trying to learn the princess wave but to become the queen of and represent the fair she’s grown to love and care about so much.”
She said her fair revealed the community’s dedication to agriculture and its excitement for the week-long entertainment that has created memories for many people year-after-year. Also, she said her fair showcased the product of the community’s hard work in the entries of home-made crafts, livestock or another specialty, such as wine-making. By attending her fair, she said people support all of these hardworking individuals.
Folmar encouraged fairgoers to take a moment to talk to the exhibitors to gain perspective on Pennsylvania’s No. 1 industry, agriculture, and to hear the great stories they have to tell. In addition to the agricultural traditions, she said the Midway offered amusements and she invited fairgoers to “hop on” the tilt-a-whirl or her favorite, the Ferris wheel.
According to Folmar, the fair offered an array of free entertainment on the David H. Litz Grove Stage. Her fair, she said, also has a legacy of bringing in “big name” entertainers, such as Bob Hope, Garth Brooks and Lynyrd Skynyrd and this week concertgoers will get their shine on with Florida Georgia Line.
However, she said big-time entertainment wasn’t the only grandstand tradition at her fair. She said the Clearfield fair was one of 15 fairs in Pennsylvania to still offer harness racing. “You can sit in this very grandstand and watch gorgeous horses race by to see which conquers the first prize,” said Folmar.
Many, she said, share her personal favorite fair tradition, the fireman’s parade. She said streets will be lined with children who will gaze at the dedicated firemen and the fair queen and her court in a convoy of glitter and gowns. And, like herself as a young girl, she said these children will wave at the floats and chase after that candy.
“The Clearfield County Fair is a yearly tradition for so many people. I’ve been coming to the fair for as long as I can remember whether it was to show my horse, sit in the grandstand for a show, to go through the parade or more recently to serve on the Fair Queen court. And, I would encourage you all here today to come to my fair to treasure your memories and to maybe even make a few new ones.”
Eleven girls competed in this year’s fair queen competition. Each contestant had to prepare an essay and complete a personal interview with the judges prior to Sunday afternoon’s on-stage competition.
During the on-stage portion of the competition, each contestant persuaded the judges and audience to visit their fair before the evening gown segment. Once the judges named the Top 5, each answered the same impromptu question.
