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WELLINGTON — Many of the teens competing for the title of King and Queen of the Lorain County Junior Fair have known each other most of their young lives.
They are friends, in some cases, best of friends.
Of course, there is respect. But there is also a fair amount of competition.
After all, along with the kudos that go along with being crowned King and Queen, the Royal Court also is invited to travel to other fairs and festivals around Ohio throughout the year, and the queen is eligible to compete in the Ohio State Fair Queen Contest.
Seven teens are vying for the top titles this year. The final seven members of the 2012 Royal Court, including the King and Queen, will be announced at the Lorain County Fair’s opening ceremonies at noon Monday in front of the Senior Fair Board office. The ceremonies will be hosted by the 2011 Junior Fair King Andy Gest and Queen Danielle Heffernan.
This year’s King candidates are: Morgan Bremke, Stephen Elder and Luke Hyer.
Morgan, 17, of Oberlin, is the son of Daren and Karen Bremke and Donna Forbush. A member of the Junior Fair Board, Tri-City Critters 4-H Club, 4-H Camp Counselor, Junior Leaders, 21st Century Farmers 4-H Club and Firelands Farmers 4-H Club, Morgan is running for Junior Fair King to “give back to the community.”
“I want to show people that being a part of 4-H means you can do other things besides show hogs,” he said. “You can do anything — be a camp counselor, showmanship, Junior Fair Board.
4-H is not just the week of the fair. It is a lifetime experience of endless opportunities. You learn important life skills.”
In addition to his 4-H activities, Morgan is an award-winning soccer player and participates in church activities at Grace Lutheran Church in Oberlin. He plans to attend Lorain County Community College and Akron University to major in computer science.
He said he is involved in the county fair because he can give back to others like those who helped him along the way. If he’s named king, he said he “will be happy to perform every single duty.”
And he’s confident he is on equal footing with his opponents, Stephen and Luke.
The 11 candidates submit an application, participate in an interview, write a short speech and are voted on by Junior Fair Board members. They also receive scores from references they have provided.
“I feel my interview went really good, and my paper was very strong,” Morgan said.
But Stephen is confident as well.
The 17-year-old Wellington candidate is the son of Timothy and Amy Smith.
“I’m hoping my chances are really good,” he said. “I’m hoping that since I’ve been in as long as I have, it will give me a little boost. But we all have a fair chance.”
Stephen has been in 4-H for 13 years. He is a member of the Barnyard Buddies 4-H Club, Junior Fair Board, Skills USA, Builders in Action, a 4-H camp counselor and FCCLA.
He said last year’s king inspired him to run, saying that he remembers looking up to the 4-H kings when he was a kid.
“I want kids to be able to look up to me like that,” he said.
Stephen said he was “pretty nervous” going in to his interview, but once he got into it, he began to feel more comfortable.
He is a graduate of the Lorain County Joint Vocational School Plumbing and Pipe Fitting program and will attend LCCC to pursue a career in construction.
He said he believes 4-H has taught him responsibility and to not give up. He has worked hard this year to spread the word about funding issues within 4-H.
“4-H has helped me become who I am today,” he said. “It’s a great program. I would hate to see it go away just because of funding.”
Luke had nothing but kind words for his opponents and their dedication and hard work.
“Both of them are amazing guys,” he said. “They have a lot on their side going for them. Both of them are very active.”
Although the 18-year-old North Ridgeville resident said he was nervous after his interview, he realized he couldn’t think of anything he would have done differently.
Luke, the son of Don and Mechele Hyer, said he has wanted to run for Junior Fair king since he was little, and since this is his last year in 4-H, he thought it would be fun.
“It just always seemed like the highest honor you could get,” he said.
Luke is a member of Another 4-H Club, Junior Fair Board, and volunteers with Mission Serve. He also works with the Helping Hands 4-H program. He graduated from North Ridgeville High School in 2011 and attends LCCC. He plans to transfer to a four-year college to major in pre-med and play football. He enjoys teaching others about showing animals at the county fair.
But don’t let his calm exterior fool you, Luke admits he is a “pretty competitive person.”
After all, this is his 11th year showing at the fair.
But just to show what good friends all three candidates are, they’ve agreed that whoever wins will try to get an autograph from country singer Brantley Gilbert on Tuesday for all three of them.
This year’s queen candidates also are friendly. They are: Candace Allen, Meghan Bremke, Megan Gibbons and Erin Keyse.
Candace, 16, of Grafton, is actually trying for two crowns this year — Junior Fair Queen and Horse Queen. She is the daughter of Dena Allen and a member of the Saddle-Lites 4-H Club, Junior Fair Board and a Horse Camp counselor.
“I love getting involved,” Candace said.
She was encouraged to run for queen this year by the previous queen.
“It’s an amazing honor,” she said of winning the crown. “You have little kids looking up to you. I love little kids, and I want to try to be a good example. It’s a great honor and I would love to be able to do it.”
Honestly, she would love to win both crowns. She ran for Horse Queen for the first time last year and won first runner-up. This is her first year trying out for the Royal Court.
“If I don’t win this year, I will try again next year,” she said. “I’m not one to quit.”
Maybe she won’t have to.
She said she feels pretty confident even with everyone else in the competition.
“I know I had a good interview and I have an even chance with everyone else,” she said. “I want to wish everyone good luck.”
Candace participates in Key Club, student council, National Honor Society and yearbook at Midview High School. She is a state 4-H Public Speaking champion and she plans to study veterinary medicine. Candace recalls being terrified the first time she participated n 4-H, but said she believes she learned how to be a good leader and understand that everyone’s opinion matters.
Meghan was a member of the Royal Court last year but did not take home the crown, so she is trying again.
“I always thought I would be queen,” she said. “My sister was queen one year, and I always looked up to her. I thought it would be cool to wear the pretty dress and crown for the week.”
Meghan, 17, of Wellington, is the daughter of Dean and Beth Bremke.
She is a member of the Barnyard Buddies 4-H Club, Keystone High School FCCLA and serves as president of the Junior Fair Board. She has participated as a 4-H Camp Counselor and was nominated by teachers to be a Youth 4 Youth Club member.
But Meghan said all of the queen candidates this year have an amazing range of talents.
“It’s hard competing this year,” she said. “All of the candidates are really good and really involved in the fair.”
If she happens to take home the crown, Meghan said she is most looking forward to representing the Lorain County Fair at other fairs and festivals around the state.
“Promoting the Lorain County Fair is important to me,” she said. “It is one of the largest fairs around here.”
Meghan is a graduate of Keystone High School and plans to attend LCCC to study nursing. She said she believes being a Junior Fair Board member has taught her that patience and communication are keys in keeping a group of people organized.
Megan said running against the other Meghan is particularly difficult because she is one of her best friends in 4-H. They met at 4-H camp seven years ago and have been friends ever since.
Although only one of them will be queen, Megan said it has been “really cool getting to be on court with her this year.”
The 17-year-old Elyria resident is the daughter of Ken and Mary Gibbons.
She is a member of the Elyria Family of 4-Her’s, Junior Fair Board and is a 4-H Camp counselor. She also serves as vice president of Elyria High School’s student council and is active in dance team, marching band, Spanish Club and National Honor Society.
“I could have run in the past, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with all of the duties,” she said. “This year, I knew I could.”
Megan’s sister, Anna, won the queen title two years ago.
If Megan wins, she said she is looking forward to traveling to different fairs and festivals to see how they differ from the Lorain County Fair.
“We have a really good Junior Fair,” she said. “It’s well run. Everyone on the board puts a lot of work into it.” Just as the candidates have put a lot of work into getting on the Royal Court.
“Everyone has the same chance,” she said. “I’m not in it to win, or even get runner-up. I’m just excited to be on court.”
If she doesn’t win this year, Megan likely won’t try again. Although she has one more year in 4-H, she knows she will be heading off to college next fall and probably won’t be able to compete at the fair.
Megan plans to pursue studies in accounting and business.
She said she is thankful for the opportunities she has had to learn through 4-H and encourages people to do good things for others.
There are lots of opportunities for that in 4-H, just ask Erin.
The 17-year-old Grafton resident said 4-H is a great place to meet different people and make lasting relationships.
The daughter of John and Kathleen Keyse, Erin is a member of the Belden B’s & G’s 4-H Club, Junior Fair Board, Food and Fashion Board, 4-H CARTEENS and 4-H camp counselor.
“My goal has always been to be fair queen,” she said. “I was on court last year and I wanted to try again for queen.”
The Midview High School graduate participated in track, band and color guard in school and is active in her church.
She said her chances of winning queen this year are as good as any of the other candidates.
“I’m pretty well matched with a couple of them,” she said. “But the best will win.”
If she is the best, she says she looks forward to going to the other fairs and representing Lorain County.
“We have a big fair and there are lots of opportunities to do lots of different things,” she said.
Erin plans to attend the University of Findlay majoring in pre-vet medicine.
She said she has learned that responsibility takes a front seat to most other things in life.
Four additional young women were candidates for the Royal Court, but did not make it to the final round. They are:
Karlie Canfield, 17, of Wakeman, who is the daughter of Stuart and Becky Canfield and Meg Canfield.
Emily Edwards, 17, of North Ridgeville, who is the daughter of Dave and Anita Edwards.
Amanda Kenyon, 18, of Oberlin, who is the daughter of Brian and Carole Kenyon.
Katelyn Mondak, 18, of Wellington, who is the daughter of Bill and Joyce Mondak.
The king and queen earn scholarships provided by the Lorain County Agricultural Society.
Contact Christina Jolliffe at 329-7155 or ctnews@chroniclet.com.