| Fair gets off to royal start |
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| Written by BILL RYAN Sentinel Fair Editor | ||||
| Tuesday, 31 July 2012 09:32 | ||||
The "I told you so" reactions were heard frequently as the entire royal court was being congratulated Monday night before a packed grandstand at the Wood County Fair. None of those comments came from the royal pair. PHOTO GALLERY "I was just so shocked," Kotula said of her first reaction as she fought back the tears of joy. "I have been involved with the fair my whole life." Davis didn't expect any honors. "I had no clue. I didn't think I had a chance," he said. "This is such a great group of guys to go against." The new queen admitted to being hopeful of being named to one of the spots in the royal court. "I went into this competition happy to represent my (4-H) club," she said noting she would have been very satisfied with that. "Now I get to represent my club and the Wood County Fair," Kotula added. "This is great." She represented the Saddles N Surreys 4-H Club in the parade. The 18-year-old also serves on the Junior Fair Board, Leadership Board, CarTeens and as a camp counselor. The daughter of Brian and Karen Kotula, she will be attending Bowling Green State University this fall, majoring in communication disorders. Davis was excited about the "awesome opportunity" his new role as king would provide for him over the remainder of the fair and beyond. He represented Jackson Livestock 4-H Club, where he is a 10-year member and the club's president. He is also the vice president of the Junior Fair Board, and serves as a CarTeens instructor. The son of Matthew and Monica Davis will be attending Ohio State University in the fall to major in mechanical engineering. Among the countless photographers taking pictures following the coronation were the new king's and queen's mothers.
Monica Davis said his family was hopeful he might earn the title. "This is his last year, so this is a great way to end it." First-runner up honors were awarded to Courtney Garrett of Green Meadows 4-H Club and Devin Spencer, representing Black Swamp Outlaws 4-H Club. Logan Browne, of Livestock Unlimited 4-H, and Hailey McCarron, of Sunset Saddlers were named as second runners-up. The third runners-up were Raegen Vickers, who represented the Gold Medal 4-H Club, and Zac Lucas of Klassy Kids 4-H. An empty chair was placed on the stage in remembrance of the late Keith Bradley, who served as an announcer for the parade for many years. Prior to the much-anticipated announcements, more than 60 units marched or rolled through the fairgrounds and before the grandstand in the parade. The Dowling Stitch, Stir and Stock 4-H Club took top honors for the 4-H floats. Karen Kotula is one of the advisers for the club. The float featured a small playground, complete with two people swinging on a fully functional swing set. The Black Swamp Outlaws float also featured a great deal of creativity and detail. The club focused on the old west and had a "milkshake saloon," complete with swinging wooden doors, an old piano, a table and chairs and a bar ready to serve up some popular 4-H milkshakes. At the back of the float was a jail with prisoners locked up. Portage Valley 4-H and Tontogany 4-Leaf Clovers tied for third place in the judging. Bowling Green took first in the FFA chapter floats, while Penta FFA was awarded second place. One special rider in the fair was Haruna Kawakami, a visitor from Japan who is visiting Wood County as part of the 4-H International exchange program. She is spending two weeks with the Vickers family, and had previously visited with a host family in Pennsylvania. "I really like the American culture," she said. "The people are so friendly and open-minded." She said they don't have anything like this fair in her home country. "I really like the fair," she said echoing the sentiments of many. |
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 August 2012 10:31 |
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