Lawrence County Fair Queen takes part in state competition
COLUMBUS – Willow Maynard, the 2021 Lawrence County Fair Queen, entered the Ohio Fairground Queen contest last week.
There are plenty of opportunities for the Lawrence County Fair Queen, one of which is the chance to run for the Ohio Fair Queen.
The winner of the contest will be the Queen of All Ohio Fairs. In Columbus, Maynard took part in interviews and an official contest, along with 78 other contestants.
Maynard, a senior in Symmes Valley and a member of the Willow Wood Wranglers 4-H club, is the daughter of Rachel and Josh Maynard.
She started as a Cloverbud in the 4-H program in third grade and began showing animals at the Lawrence County Fair the following year. His victories over the years have included the Grand Champion and the Senior Showman in the 2021 Specialty Goat Competition.
Maynard said she “met so many amazing people, including my college roommate,” as she competed at the Ohio Fair Managers Conference for that title.
“Although my race was cut short, I’m still so grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to see which queen wins,” she said during the competition.
Lawrence County Fair contest coordinator Jessi Newman said: “Although she couldn’t come home with a second tiara, she rocked the one she already won and did it with. a big smile on his face. So proud of you, Willow, most of all I hope you take away new memories that you will cherish for years to come.
Maynard not only said she appreciated the experience and lessons learned that she would keep throughout her life, but she also said she came away with advice and tips from influential women.
“Tip number one: Always be yourself without forcing yourself to pretend, and always keep a smile. Tip number two: If you do happen on stage, laugh it off too so you don’t feel uncomfortable, ”she shared.
She wanted to thank the community for cheering her on during her reign as Lawrence County Queen, and her parents for making sure she could compete.
She encourages community members to participate, saying, “If you have children, grandchildren, or anyone you know who is interested in 4-H, please get involved. I would never be where I am today without the 4-H community.
Rachael Fraley, extension educator for Lawrence County, said she was “so proud” of Maynard, who also sits on the board of directors for Junior Fair. Fraley said two recent fairground queens have also competed at the state level – Montana Runnels, in 2019, and Morgan Klaiber, in 2020.
Among Maynard’s remaining duties as the reigning County Fair Queen, he will crown the Queen in 2022 at this year’s Fair, slated for July.
The winner of this year’s Ohio Fair Queen’s contest was Maya Kidd of Butler County. The rest of the top five were Annabelle Ehmer, County Stark, Erin Pope, County Gallia, Gretchen Search, County Ross, and Nicole Sennig, County Mercer.
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