SIDNEY — The 2017 Shelby County King and Queen Contest will be held on Sunday, July 23, at 7 p.m. in the Free Entertainment Tent on the fairgrounds.
Private interviews were held on Tuesday, July 18, starting at 4 p.m. at the extension office.
There are seven girls and three boys competing for the queen and king crowns for the fair. All contestants must be a member in good standing of one of the following organizations: FFA, 4-H, or Girl Scouts and meet all eligibility requirements and must exhibit in the Shelby County Junior Fair. Each person must be 12 years of age by Jan. 1.
King candidates for the 2017 Shelby County Fair are:
• Bryce Metz, 16, son of Jeff and Andrea Metz, of Botkins. He will be a junior at Botkins High School in the fall and is a member of Botkins Livestock 4-H Club and FFA.
• Jarrett Yinger, 16, son of Jake and Breezy Yinger, of Jackson Center. He will be a junior at Jackson Center High School this fall and is a member of Jackson Center FFA.
• Evan Burden, 16, son of Jill and Tim Burden, of Sidney. He will be a senior at Sidney High School in the fall and is a member of Sidney 4-H Club.
Queen candidates for the 2017 Shelby County Fair are:
• Christina Marie Gaerke, 18, daughter of Jason and Judie Gaerke, of Russia. She is a 2017 graduate of Russia High School and is a was the vice president of Russia Livestock 4-H Club.
• Allison Roush, 16, daughter of Karen and Darrin Ike, of Sidney. She will be a junior at Fairlawn School this fall and is a member of Successful 4-H Club.
• Morgan Ely, 16, daughter of Mike and Dawn Ely, of Sidney. She will be a senior at Houston High School this fall and is a member of Sidney Scissors to Sheep 4-H Club.
• Grace Homan, 16, daughter of Fred and Billie Homan, of Botkins. She will be a junior at Botkins High School this fall and is a member of Botkins Livestock 4-H Club and FFA.
• Allie Voisard, 17, daughter of Luke and Kim Voisard, of Houston. She is a graduate of Houston High School and a member of Houston Livestock 4-H Club and FFA.
• Emily Holt, 16, daughter of Harvey and Theresa Holt, of Botkins. She will be a junior at Anna High School this fall and is the current treasurer of Anna Dog-Gone 4-H and a member of Anna Livestock 4-H and Recreation 4-H clubs.
• Emily Bohman, 17, daughter of Jennifer and Steve Bohman, of Russia. She will be a senior at Russia High School in the fall and is the treasurer of Russia Livestock 4-H Club.
Contestants will be interviewed by a committee of judges appointed by the Junior Fair Board advisers. The contestants will be judged on leadership, participation and achievement, ability to talk, poise and appearance.
All contestants will be introduced on stage and will be required to do a 3 minute “original” speech during the 7 p.m. contest. The speech may be no longer than 3 minutes and will be timed. Contestants whose speeches exceed the time limit will be penalized.
Public interviews of finalists will be held at the fair.
One king candidate and one queen candidate will be recognized for their congeniality as voted on by the contestants.
Three finalists for queen and three finalists for king will be named during the contest. Only one contestant will be crowned queen, and only one contestant will be crowned king. The remaining two finalists in each contest will be ranked and recognized as runners-up.
The king and queen will receive a monetary prize of $150 each. The first runners-up will receive $50. The second runners-up will receive $30. Mr. and Miss Congenitally will be awarded $20 each.
