ASHLAND – Shortly after the 166th annual Ashland County Fair kicked off Sunday, Sept. 17, the junior fair pageant’s new queen and king were announced.
Taylor Dawson, a senior at Northwestern High School, and Henry Bacsi, a senior at Ashland High School, were crowned as the fair’s new royal representatives by the 2016 king and queen Baylin Thompson and Emily Wesner.
The winners were chosen based on interviews that took place in late August, but the seven contestants – two for king and five for queen – answered questions on stage Sunday afternoon for the crowd to “get to know them.”
During this time, Dawson was asked to define success and Bacsi described the first valuable lesson that he has learned.
“Without mistakes, you could never succeed in anything that you try. And without mistakes, there’s nothing you ever really learn in life,” Bacsi said.
He serves as president of Local Roots Country Boots 4-H Club, the Ashland County Junior Fair Board and the Ashland FFA.
The new queen serves as the assistant secretary at the junior fair board and is involved in the Ashland County 4-H Team Council, the Barnyard Bunch 4-H Club and the Northwestern FFA. Dawson will show hogs and steers among other animals at this year’s fair.
“I am speechless,” Dawson said after finding out the news. “I was not expecting that, honestly. I was expecting to make court.”
Madison Heller, a freshman at the College of Wooster was named the first runner-up for the queen, and Matthew Dorrell of Ashland High School was the runner-up to the king. Other contestants included Madison Eaton, Leah Miller and Jade Shambre.
“They are all outstanding representatives of Junior Fair,” said Kathy Blackford, county extension educator for 4-H.
