Schumm, Bockey Junior Fair king & queen

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Brett Schumm and Brooke Bockey were crowned the 2018 Junior Fair king and queen during a coronation ceremony that was part of the Junior Fair’s “Celebration Sunday” schedule of pre-fair events held on Sunday.

Bockey, daughter of Doug and Sherry Bockey, is a senior at Spencerville High School and a member of the school FFA chapter. She is also a member of the Junior Fair Board. Bockey exhibits market poultry at the fair, as well as market hogs and participates in the swine showmanship competition.

She noted that her desire to do more as a role model for younger Junior Fair members was her reason for seeking out the Junior Fair queen title.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to interact with the children, and kind of be able to be a positive role model for them and encourage them to take a part in fair as well as I have,” Bockey said, adding that she had originally thought to just compete for species princess before making a decision to go for the bigger role of Junior Fair queen.

She also said she wants to show Junior Fair exhibitors that they can have a great experience exhibiting at the fair.

“I hope they see that it’s not, necessarily, about how many projects you take or how many years you’ve participated in the fair,” Bockey noted. “Instead of the quantity, it’s the quality you put into the fair (that matters).”

Schumm, son of Mike and Robin Schumm, said it was a family tradition to compete for Junior Fair king and queen, with his mother a Junior Fair queen in the 1980s and his siblings also competing in past Junior Fair royalty events.

Schumm, a 2018 graduate of Crestview High School, said he is looking forward to attending some of the livestock shows he doesn’t normally attend.

“I normally don’t go to most of them,” he said, adding: “This will make me go to the other ones and branch out.”

Schumm said his time in 4-H as a 10-year member of the Barnyard Buddies club has given him great experiences, while being a member of the Crestview FFA chapter has developed his leadership skills, while also teaching him the value of hard work and taking responsibility.

He said he plans to continue to work on the family farm and to also do drainage and ditch work.

Bockey said she plans to attend Ohio State University majoring in animal science for two years, and then decide whether to specialize in a particular animal species or become a large animal veterinarian.

Bockey’s sister, Torie, who is also a senior at Spencerville, was named queen runner-up. Other queen candidates included Betty Vorst, Klinger, and Chloe Sidle. Schumm was the only king candidate.

Species princesses were also crowned Sunday and include Kassidy Klinger, daughter of David and Sandy Klinger and a senior at Crestview, Swine Princess; Rayana Thatcher, a senior at Crestview, was named Beef Princess; Christina Keen, a junior at Parkway High School and the daughter of Joe and Ellen Keen, was Dairy Princess; Reagan Priest, a senior at Van Wert High School, and the daughter of Bob Priest and Kara Kreger, was Equine Princess; Lily Hempfling, daughter of Chuck and Sue Hempfling and a sophomore at Delphos St. John’s High School, was Goat Princess; and Abby Bradford, daughter of Robert and Melissa Bradford, was crowned Rabbit Princess.

Crown bearers were Ellie Myers, daughter of Clint and Camile Myers, and Waylin Harting, son of Colin and Halie Harting.

Judges were Bryce Ritchey, Morgan Warnecke, and Craig Pohlman.

Sponsors included the Senior Fair Board, Straley Realty & Auctioneers, Robin Schumm and Rita Adam, Max and Ilo Mercer, Slusher’s and Laudick’s Jewelry, photographer Bob Barnes, Phil and Chris Campbell, McCoy’s Flowers and Fettig’s Flowers, Loretta Williams and family (in memory of Hayden), the Randy Mueller family, Van Wert Cattlemen’s Association, Van Wert Dairy Service Unit, 4-H Council, Chris Lobsiger family, Cooper Farms Cooked Meats, the Junior Fair Board, and a number of anonymous donors.

Following the Junior Fair king and queen coronation, the Cloverbud graduation, 4-H Style Revue, and 4-H Special Awards ceremony were all held in the Farm Focus Arena.

Junior Fair royalty posed for a photo Sunday afternoon following a coronation ceremony in the Farm Focus Arena on the Van Wert County Fairgrounds. Shown are (front row, from the left) crown bearers Waylin Harting and Ellie Myers; (back row) Beef Princess Rayana Thatcher, Swine Princess Kassidy Klinger, Rabbit Princess Abby Bradford, Junior Fair King Brett Schumm, Junior Fair Queen Brooke Bockey, Goat Princess Lily Hempfling, Dairy Princess Christina Keen, Junior Fair Queen Runner-up Torie Bockey, and Equine Princess Reagan Priest. Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent