CLEARFIELD – Like mother, like daughter.
Kyra Henry, 20, of Curwensville was crowned the 2024 fair queen Sunday during the 36th annual competition at the 163rd Clearfield County Fair.
She was crowned on the grandstand stage by Eva Bloom, who saw her reign as queen come to an end in the same fairgrounds it all started last summer.
But, Henry’s coronation was an extra special moment for her.
Thirty years ago, her mother—Shannon Curry Henry—was crowned the 1994 fair queen. She later landed a spot in the Top 5 of the 1995 Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Competition.
This family’s queen bloodline continued with Henry’s aunt Renee, who was fair queen in 1995, and then Henry on Sunday.
“Wow!” Henry expressed, first thanking God for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Without Him, I couldn’t have done this.”
Henry also thanked the Queens Committee and Fair & Park Board for being such an integral part of her life, as well as her friends and family but especially her mother.
“She’s why I’m standing here on this stage today [as queen], and I’m very proud, very honored to represent this county.”
Henry is a 2022 graduate of Curwensville Area High School and a 2024 graduate of the Vet Tech Institute. She currently works as a vet tech at Apple Grove Vet Clinic.
She was a member of the Clearfield County 4-H and the Clearfield County FFA. She served as the 2021 Clearfield County Dairy Princess and the 2013 Clearfield County Dairy Maid.
In the future, Henry plans to become a certified vet technician, and she wished for the queen title to be the voice of agriculture and the fair by sharing her personal “farm to fair” experience.
Henry will be joined in her court by First Runner-up Emily Smeal, 19, of Curwensville; Second Runner-up Lauren Kennedy, 17, of DuBois; and Third Runner-up Cherish Kauffman, 19, of Mahaffey.
Jayna Vicary, 2018 fair queen of the Queens Committee, gave a brief overview of the fair queen competition before the results were given.
The county competition closely resembles the Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Competition, at which Henry will represent the Clearfield County Fair in January.
According to Vicary, contestants had already completed a couple parts of the competition, including a personal essay on what the fair means to their community.
Before the on-stage competition Sunday afternoon, they had appeared for a personal interview with the panel of judges.
On-stage, contestants competed in a timed three- to five-minute speech on why people should come to their fair and an evening gown/personal introduction.
Each young woman answered the same impromptu question, which was about how this year’s fair arrived with the addition of Powers & Thomas Midway Entertainment, which has brought back many old fair memories for many fairgoers.
Contestants were asked to share their favorite fair memory and how it has sparked their desire to pursue the title of Clearfield County Fair Queen.
Galla of Dan and Galla Variety Show served as master of ceremonies with 2022 Fair Queen Makenna Rummel and Heather Olson-Desmett provided musical entertainment.