5 girls, 2 boys seek Jr. Fair King, Queen

Van Wert County Fair information

Five girls and two boys are vying for the title of Junior Fair King and Queen for this year’s Van Wert County Fair.

Queen candidates include the following:

Morgan Klinger

Morgan is the daughter of David and Sandy Klinger and is a member of the Ohio Challengers 4-H Club and Crestview FFA. She is involved in Model UN, participates in Big Brothers, Big Sisters and is also in Family, Community and Career Leaders of America. Morgan, who will be a senior this year at Crestview, plans to pursue a degree in accounting or human resource management upon graduation. She currently works at Klosterman Pizza in Van Wert. Morgan says she loves 4-H and having her projects become her pets. She has been in 4-H for nine years.

Katie Vorst

Katie is the daughter of Chris and Sandy Vorst and is a senior at Delphos St. John’s High School, where she is president of National Honor Society, vice president of Student Council and vice president of the Junior Optimist Club. She is going into her third year as a member of the varsity basketball team. She is also a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Delphos. Katie has been a member of 4-H for nine years and has enjoyed showing cattle and hogs at the county and Ohio State fairs. She is active in her 4-H Club, the Venedocia Lads and Lassies, where she has also held many offices. She is also a three-year member of the Junior Fair Board. After high school, Katie plans to attend the University of Findlay and earn a degree in pre-veterinarian medicine. She then plans to attend The Ohio State University majoring in veterinary medicine.

Sabrina Barnhart

Sabrina is the daughter of James and Susan Barnhart and is a 2012 graduate of Lincolnview High School. In high school, she was very active, including being a four-year letter winner on the cross country and track teams and participating in Beta Club, Science Club, concert choir and Drama Club. In the fall, Sabrina will be attending Northwest State Community College majoring in criminal justice. She has been an active 4-H member for the past 11 years and a Junior Fair Board member for the past two years. At the Van Wert County Fair she shows several different poultry species and helps with other shows as well. In her spare time, Sabrina volunteers at Lutheran Children’s Hospital and the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.

Grace Mitchener

Grace will be a senior at Crestview High School and will also be attending Wright State University’s Lake Campus during the year to earn college credits. As a 12-year member of the Venedocia Lads and Lassies, she has held numerous offices, including club historian, safety officer, secretary and two terms as president. She has attended Cloverbud Camp, 4-H Camp Palmer and twice attended the Ohio 4-H Leadership Camp at Camp Ohio. Grace has won several awards, including Black Inc. prizes, outstanding club member, the Special Achiever Award and has been recognized several times as top seller of 4-H Chicken Barbecue tickets. Grace has represented Van Wert County at the Ohio State Fair in Food and Nutrition and Small Animals/Veterinary Science categories. This year, she will compete at the Ohio State Fair with her Advanced Cake Decorating project. She is also a member of the 4-H Ambassadors and visits area schools and participates in an annual open house to promote 4-H and attract new members.

During high school, Grace had been an honor roll student and a member of Beta Club, Spanish Club, marching and concert bands, tennis, Future Teachers of America, Junior Optimists and a member of Student Council, serving as secretary. She has also participated in Solo and Ensemble contests, attended Saxophone Camp at Bowling Green State University and represented her school in District and State Honors Bands.

She is a member of First United Methodist Church in Van Wert, where she has assisted with Mustard Seeds (after-school children’s program), Vacation Bible School and acted as liturgist for Sunday services.

Grace is an avid reader, movie and music enthusiast and enjoys practicing her saxophone, as well as performing music. She has been dancing since age 3 and currently dances with “The Dancer by Gina.” Her favorite hobby is her 4-H poultry projects, and this year will be showing Silkies and, for the first time, Golden Comets. In addition to her extracurricular activities, Grace is employed as a McDonald’s crew member, where she has been named “employee of the month.”

Amanda Lobsiger

Amanda is the daughter of Chris and Erika Lobsiger and will be a senior at Crestview High School this year. She is an active member of FFA and 4-H, where she currently holds the position of president of two clubs. She has also been involved in track for five years and the National Honor Society. She has previously been involved in Model UN for three years and track for two years. Amanda has been a Junior Fair Board member for three years and is Goat/Sheep Barn superintendent, a member of the Livestock and Media committees and helps with many weigh-ins throughout the year. She has shown goats for nine years in 4-H and a total of 14 years overall. She has also received many showmanship awards in Junior, Intermediate, Senior and Champion of Champion divisions. She also has received many grand and reserve champion awards throughout her 4-H career. Amanda is also a member of the Happy Hoofers Farmville Club and the 4-H Interstate Exchange Club, both of which she serves as president, and has been a camp counselor for two years. Amanda said she feels that being Van Wert County Junior Fair Queen would be a great honor and also give her the chance to be a role model for county 4-H members. Amanda’s future plans are to attend a college for either forensic science or to be a veterinarian.

This year’s Junior Fair King candidates are:

Kurt Hoersten

Kurt is the son of Larry and Patricia Hoersten. He will be a junior at Vantage Career Center, representing his home school of Delphos Jefferson High School, At Vantage, he will major in Industrial Mechanics. In school he has been active in basketball and baseball, as well as Student Council, FCLA, FCA, SADD and several other clubs. Through 4-H, he has served in several different offices. He is a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Delphos. He is an eight-year member of the Delphos Pathfinders 4-H Club and is also a member of Delphos FFA, where he has completed several service projects. He was also elected chaplain of his chapter. He has enjoyed exhibiting hogs and steers and county and state-level competitions and is also a member of the Junior Fair Board. After high school, Kurt plans to attend college and pursue a career in livestock judging and other agricultural studies.

Adam Schumm

Adam is the son of Mike and Robin Schumm of rural Willshire and the grandson of Rita Adam and Fred Schumm and the late Ron Adam and Eileen Schumm. Adam is a senior at Crestview High School, where he is a member of FFA, the National Honor Society and has been a member of the basketball and baseball teams. He plans to play golf this fall. He is a 10-year member of the Barnyard Buddies 4-H Club, where he is currently serving his third term as president. During his time in 4-H, he has shown swine, sheep, dairy feeders, steers and breeding cattle. He has also taken miscellaneous projects like woodworking and welding, where he has been chosen to participate in the Ohio State Fair competition. He has served as a camp counselor for the past two years and is serving on the Junior Fair Board for his third year, this year as vice president. Adam represents Crestview FFA, where he is also serving as president. He has received the Star Greenhand, Chapter Farmer and State Farmer degrees and has participated in the Parliamentary Procedure team, Greenhand quiz team, livestock judging team, soil judging team and agricultural engineering team, where he placed second in the state as an individual. He also participated in the district speaking contest and has attended the Farm Bureau/FFA Leadership Camp. He is a member of Zion Lutheran Church, where he is an usher, is a junior firefighter with the Wren Volunteer Fire Department and is a Van Wert County Farm Bureau member. He has attended the National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., and will be attending again this coming January for the presidential inauguration. Adam is involved with the family farm and helps to milk, raise crops, beef cattle and swine. He enjoys spending time with his family playing yard games, swimming, biking and gardening.

Adam would like to have the honor of being Junior Fair King in order to be a role model for the younger Junior Fair members. He wants to show them that, with hard work and determination, one can reach his or her goals. He would also like to have the opportunity to meet new people and face new challenges that this honor would provide. Adam said he would also like to give back to the Junior Fair a little for the benefits he has received over the past 10 years, and to carry on the family tradition of being Junior Fair royalty.