2024 Marion County Fair Topics, Behold Your New King(Queen).
The fair’s king, queen, prince and princess were crowned Monday after a lengthy selection process among some of the region’s top 4-H and FFA youth.
The following families will reign in the coming year: Adrian Starcher, King; Reagan Fitsko, Queen; Josiah Dawson, Prince; and Marissa Loyer, Princess.
The 174th Marion County Fair runs through Saturday night. This year’s theme is Christmas in July.
Gates open daily at 8am. Admission is $10. Children under 11 are free.
‘I just hope I can be a good role model’
The carnival queen is 17 years old. She is a senior at River Valley High School.
Fitsko joined the Whetstone Wranglers 4-H Club 10 years ago and is now an FFA member. She has shown dairy farmers every year.
It wasn’t until she met the Queen last year that she realised the role was something she could enjoy herself. She applied, but found herself in fierce competition.
“I was nervous,” Fitsko said. “I did spend a lot of time on my application and I prepared pretty well for my interview.”
She looks forward to representing Marion County in the coming year.
“I just hope I can be a good role model for the little kids,” Fitsko said. “I always remember when I was a little thing, running around here and seeing them and thinking, ‘Wow, they’re so cool.’ So I hope I can be a good role model for them, like they were for me.”
‘Held at a high level of respect’
The King of the Fair is 16 years old. He is a junior at Marion Harding High School.
Starcher joined the Greencamp Shamrocks 4-H Club seven years ago. His projects include Drug & Alcohol Abuse and Yeast Breads on the Rise. He also shows rabbits.
Years ago he knew that one day he wanted to wear the sash of the beautiful king.
“My earliest memories of the fair, I remember the fair kings were people who had a high standard of respect,” Starcher said. “The higher level of respect that these people had led me to want to be a fair king someday.”
Now that he is king, he wants to serve Marion County well.
“As a county representative, I hope to attend as many fairs as possible,” Starcher said. “I’ve already looked at the Cincinnati Fair, the Delaware County Fair, and hopefully the state fair.”
‘Help people and feel responsible’
Princess Loyer is 15 years old and is in her second year at River Valley High School.
She joined the Marion County Sharpshooters 4-H Club six years ago and is now a member of FFA. She shows goats and beef bulls.
“I remember my freshman year in 4-H, I watched the coronation and always thought I wanted to do that,” Loyer said. “So it’s kind of a thing in the works, I guess.”
Prince Dawson is 14 years old and a freshman at Marion Harding High School.
He joined the Greencamp Shamrocks 4-H Club five years ago. He shows chickens.
“I knew since the beginning of 4-H this year that I wanted to be the prince,” Dawson said. “I wanted to be the prince so I could help people and feel responsible.”
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: The King and Queen of the Marion County Fair are Adrian Starcher, Reagan Fitsko
