Three vying to become next Tuscarawas County Fair Queen
DOVER (WJER) (Sept. 14, 2023) – The Tuscarawas County Fair opens Monday with a new king and queen.
2022 Junior Fair Queen Lexi Troyer will pass the crown to the next lucky girl during a ceremony at the fairgrounds on Sunday evening. Contest Chair Wendy Vogel says the three high school seniors are in the running for the title: Brianna Burdette, Laura Weaver, and Kimber Fillman.
“They have an application that they have to fill out. They have to list their 4-H and fair and school, kind of their highlights, their achievements and clubs that they’re in, offices that they’ve held, community services that they’ve done. They also have to write a one-page essay on why they want to be the fair queen. That’s kind of my favorite part is to read that and, boy, those kids just love the fair.”
The ceremony begins at 6:30 on Sunday evening and will be followed by the memorabilia auction. Senior Fair Board member Jacque Peters says they have 11 commemorative picnic baskets to auction off, each containing locally produced wine, cheese, trail bologna, and a cutting board.
“The number 11 basket is the Fair Queen’s basket, and that money goes to the fair queen and her expenses when she travels throughout the state. And then the other 10 baskets, the money goes back into improvements on the fairgrounds.”
After that, it’s the Quilts of Valor presentation.
“There is always an Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine that have been chosen, whether it’s a connection with a 4-H club or just a member knows someone else, and so they receive a special quilt that has been stitched by members of the Tuscarawas County 4-H clubs.”
There’s only one applicant for Fair King this year. That’s Garaway senior and Junior Achiever’s 4-H Club member Jonathon Domer, whose father Mike was the fair king in 1997.