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ASHLAND — Two Ashland County teens are looking forward to using their platform over the next 365 days to help others.
Danielle Stemen and Harper Dinsmore were crowned royalty Sunday afternoon during the opening day of the 175th Ashland County Fair. The junior fair queen and king both spoke about what comes with the royalty responsibilities.
“It helps build great leadership qualities,” said Stemen, a senior at Mapleton High School. “It gets you out there to speak to people and helps make you a better person.”
Stemen, also a member of the 2025 Ashland County Jr. Fair Royalty Court, succeeds Danika Cross, also a Mapleton alum, as junior queen.
Dinsmore, a junior at Crestview High School, takes over as junior king for Preston Smeltzer, a Loudonville High School grad.
“I’m looking forward to being in the show ring,” he said. “A lot of people don’t show as well as they want to. I’ll be there to comfort them and talk to them and congratulate people that do win.”
Mapleton sophomore Ridge Meyer was first runner-up in the junior king race and Cheyenne Jackson was first runner-up for queen.
Allie Heckman, Sydney Spellman and Emma Martin made up the rest of junior queen court.
Dinsmore and Stemen both shared their reactions to earning top royalty honors.
“It feels really good,” Dinsmore said. “I’m glad that Ridge and I both got the opportunity to do it together.
“He’s a really great kid. I really like hanging out with him, especially on the Junior Fair Board.”
Stemen said she felt honored by the judge’s decision Sunday.
“It feels great to get the honor to be queen,” she said. “I’m so glad to represent the Ashland County Fair.”
Below are photos from Sunday’s crowning of the Ashland County Junior Fair king and queen. (Credit: Hayden Gray) The story continues below.
Learn more about the candidates
Here’s more to know about each candidate who competed in this year’s junior fair royalty court, provided by event organizers:
- Allie Heckman: The daughter of Emily an Trent Heckman, Allie Heckman is a junior at Ashland High School and is enrolled at Heartland Technical Education Center for Early Childhood Education. She is the president of her 4-H club, Clover Valley, the historian of the Ashland FFA Chapter and is a member of the Ashland County Junior Fair Board. She also serves on the Ashland Special Needs Ministry. She has participated in multiple community service activities and is part of the parliamentary procedure, meat evaluation, nursery and landscape, milk quality and products, floriculture, general livestock and food service technology judging teams through FFA. Through the Ashland County Fair, Heckman currently exhibits market goats and still projects. In the future, she hopes to go to college at North Central State College to become a special education teacher.
- Cheyenne Jackson: The daughter of Elizabeth and Matthew Jackson, Cheyenne Jackson is a junior at Mapleton High School. She is president of her 4-H club, Polk Porkers, the assistant secretary of the Mapleton FFA Chapter and a member of National Honor Society. She has helped with many community service projects and has been a part of speech, floriculture, soils and small animal production competitions through FFA and participated with many sports teams at Mapleton. Through the Ashland County Fair, Jackson has shown market lambs and rabbits. In the future, she hopes to attend Ashland University and receive her masters in early childhood education to become an elementary school teacher.
- Emma Martin: The daughter of Josh and Megan Holland and Bryan Martin, Emma Martin is a senior at Ashland High School. She was the president of her 4-H club, Paradise Hill Guys & Gals, and is currently the president of the Ashland FFA Chapter, a member of the Ashland County Junior Fair Board and a 2025 member of the Fair Royalty Court. She has participated in multiple community service activities and is part of the land evaluation, meats technology, milk quality and products, food science, nursery landscape, floriculture, general livestock, forestry and dairy cattle judging teams through FFA. Through the Ashland County Fair, Martin exhibits dairy market and breeding goats and has shown rabbits in the past. In the future, she hopes to go to college to adventure in the animal science industry.
- Sydney Spellman: The daughter of Mike and Amanda Spellman, Sydney Spellman is a junior at Ashland High School. She is the treasurer of her 4-H club, Hilltop 4-Her’s, vice president of the Ashland FFA Chapter, treasurer of the Ashland County Jr. Fair Board and a member of the 2025 Fair Royalty Court. She has participated in community service activities and is part of the public speaking, parliamentary procedure, milk quality and products, floriculture, food science, nursery landscape, job interview, general livestock and dairy cattle judging teams through FFA. Through the Ashland County Fair, Spellman currently exhibits dairy market goats and has shown dairy cattle in the past. In the future, she hopes to go to The Ohio State University ATI to become a large animal veterinarian.
- Danielle Stemen: The daughter of Brenda and Jonathan Dilgard and Robert Stemen, Danielle Stemen is a senior at Mapleton High School. She is the president of This & That 4-H Club, president of the Mapleton FFA Chapter, a member of the Ashland County Junior Fair Board and a member of the 2025 Fair Royalty Court. She has participated in numerous community service activities and is part of the meats technology, land evaluation, grain merchandising, farm business management, animal behavior and veterinarian science judging teams through FFA. Through the Ashland County Fair, she currently exhibits a market hog and a self determined project titled “Natural Resources” that she also took to the Ohio State Fair. In past years, Stemen has taken a small engine project, let’s start cooking project, breeding rabbits, market goats, market rabbits, market chickens and market lambs. In the future, she plans to attend Ohio Northern University to become an agricultural lawyer.
- Harper Dinsmore: The son of Steve and Shane Dinsmore, Harper Dinsmore is a junior at Crestview High School. He is the vice president of the Crestview FFA Chapter, a Crestview Class Officer, member of National Honor Society, member of Boy Scouts and a member of the Ashland County Junior Fair Board. He also is a three-sport athlete at Crestview. He has been involved in many community service activities, attended church camps, conventions and leadership trips. Through the Ashland County Fair, Dinsmore shows market hogs. After graduation, he hopes to work with drones in agriculture, as well as becoming a fireman.
- Ridge Meyer: The son of Clay and Kelly Meyer, Ridge Meyer is a sophomore at Mapleton High School. He is vice president of his 4-H club, Barnyard Bunch, serves as a 4-H camp counselor and is a member of the Ashland County Junior Fair Board. He also serves as a leadership team member for cross country and track and field and is a member of the Mapleton marching band. He has participated in multiple community service activities and was part of the State Knowledge Bowl. Through the Ashland County Fair, Meyer exhibits dairy cattle. After graduation, he plans to attend college to major in agriculture or education.
Photos by Hayden Gray
