Six girls and one boy will vie for the titles when the 2021 Highland County Jr. Fair King and Queen Contest is held at 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the Multipurpose Show Arena at the fairgrounds in Hillsboro.

The fair runs Sept. 5-11.

The queen contestants are McKenzie Arnold, Trinity Edenfield, Sydney Hamilton, Hannah Hopkins, Catherine Knope and Anne-Marie Ogden.

The lone king contestant is Wyatt Morrow.

Following is a brief bio on each of the candidates as submitted by Danielle Combs, Highland County Jr. Fair royalty coordinator.

Arnold is 17 and lives in Leesburg. She has been in 4-H for seven years and in FFA for four years. She has been showing pigs since she was 8 and rabbits since she was 9. She is a member of the Swine Time 4-H Club, Laurel Oaks FFA, NSHSS, NHS, ECY and Academy of Scholars at Fairfield High School. She enjoys training animals, crafting, helping her classmates and community, and being with her friends and family. Her goals for the future are to attend Wilmington College and major in animal science, eventually going to Ohio State to earn her doctorate degree in veterinary medicine.

Edenfield said that being fair queen has always been one of her aspirations. She is a junior at Hillsboro High School and attends Southern State Community College. She enjoys FFA, swimming, 4-H, Junior Leaders and Jr. Fair Board, and is a 4-H camp counselor and 4-H camp ambassador. This is her 11th year in 4-H. For nine of those years she has been showing, competing and helping out wherever there is a need at the fair. She has served as Highlands Best 4-H Club president for five years and as the Hillsboro FFA Chapter treasurer.

Hamilton is the daughter of Rob and Lara Hamilton of the Pricetown community. She is a junior at Lynchburg-Clay High School and a member of the Highland County Poultry, Pigs and Lambs 4-H Club, Junior Leadership and the Highland County Family and Consumer Sciences Board. Her 4-H projects include meat goats, poultry, nutrition and sewing. She is representing the Highland County Junior Leadership Club.

Hopkins is the daughter of Josh Hopkins and Laura McKenzie. She is a senior at Hillsboro High School and is representing the Fab Five 4-H Club. As well as participating in 4-H, she represents varsity tennis and cheerleading, and is the current president of the Hillsboro FFA Chapter. “I would like to serve as fair queen to inspire others as a role model and be a positive influence for all of the fair attendees, just as the past queens have done for me,” she said.

Knope is 17 and attends Lynchburg-Clay High School and Chatfield College. She has been in 4-H for eight years as a member of Lynchburg Guys & Gals 4-H Club, where she is currently the president and secretary. She is also a part of the Highland County Junior Leadership Club, where she serves as secretary. “I am very involved at sports in my high school, as well as National Honor Society and class officers. I enjoy 4-H, the fair, going to work, spending time with my friends and family, and playing with my dog,” she said.

Ogden is the daughter of Nancymae and Jeremiah Ogden. In 4-H she shows dogs and chickens and does Family and Consumer Science projects. She is part of Jr. Fair Board, Jr. Leaders and FCS Board. Outside of 4-H she participates in marching band, swim team and track and field. She also participates at school in symphonic choir and band.

Morrow is representing the Fab Five 4-H Club. He is a junior at Fairfield High School and an active member of FFA. He is also active in the Highland County Junior Leaders and the rabbit council. “I would like to become the 2021 Highland County Fair king. Our youth is the future, and I would like to help be a positive influence in their overall experience with 4-H/FFA. Both have taught me that discipline and hard work always pay off,” he said.

In order to compete in the Highland County Jr. Fair King and Queen Contest, Combs said contestants must complete four requirements.

Part 1 is an application that was due Aug. 23. The contestants will be judged on their ability to answer the questions on the application. It will be judged on content, grammar and spelling.

Part 2 is a personal interview which will be judged on the contestants’ ability to answer questions, their poise/posture, and conversational ability by a panel of judges.

Part 3 is a speech about the fair theme that will be presented in front of the audience Sunday. The contestants will be judged on their ability to prepare and present a two- to five-minute oral speech. No props can be used. The speeches will be judged on the contestants’ speaking ability, content and poise/presence.

Part 4 is two “fishbowl questions” that will be answered during the contest. The contestants will be judged on their ability to answer two random questions in front of the audience and panel of judges. The contestants will be judged on their ability to answer the question, speaking ability, and poise/presence.

An accumulation of all four parts will determine who will represent the 2021 Highland County Jr. Fair as royalty.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.