For the first time in 56 years a king contest will be held along with the queen contest at the 2015 Highland County Fair.
The 56th annual fair queen contest and inaugural fair king contest will be held Saturday, Sept. 5 in the Multipurpose Building on the Highland County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro.
The contests have been moved from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to avoid conflicts with other events.
The Highland County Agricultural Society is inviting any girl or boy who is a member of 4-H, FFA, FFCLA, Farm Bureau Youth, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, etc., and is 15-19 years of age, to enter the contest. Contestants must have turned 15 by Jan. 1, 2015.
Jana Holbrook, Highland County Junior Fair coordinator, said the Ross County Fair has held a king contest for several years and that the Brown County Fair also holds a king contest. She said she’s not sure about other surrounding counties.
She said a past fair queen noticed that other counties have a king contest and thought it would be a good idea for Highland County.
Holbrook said fair officials hold at fair evaluation meeting the week following the fair each year and the the idea of holding a king contest was brought up after last year’s fair. The Junior Fair Board later voted in favor of the king contest and then the Senior Fair Board approved it.
“I guess they just wanted to give the boys a chance be in it,” Holbrook said. “It gives them lots of opportunities to meet new people and experience new things.”
Male members of the organizations listed above have served as escorts for the queen contest the last several years.
Contestants in both contests will be judged on poise and conduct, their application, a personal interview with the judges, and an oral presentation on this year’s fair theme – “Red, White, and Moo…The Highland County Fair wants Ewe”.
Kristen Priest, the contest superintendent, said the winners will receive a silver tray, crown and sash, and will be required to promote the Highland County Fair at the Ohio State Fair and other fairs and parades. The queen and king will also be required to preside over most all activities at the 2015 Highland County Fair.
There is no monetary award or scholarship for the queen or king.
“It’s something they can add to their resume, and it gives them a chance to be a role model for younger kids at the fair,” Holbrook said.
She said she knows two boys that have expressed interest, so more applications would be welcome.
Applications for the contest can be picked up at the Highland County Extension Office, 112 Gov. Foraker Place, Hillsboro. The application deadline is Aug. 20. No late applications will be accepted.
For more information about the fair queen or fair king contests, contact Priest at 937-763-4555.
For more information on the Highland County Junior Fair, contact Holbrook at 937-402-6219.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.
