By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Wood County Junior Fair Queen Katie Oestreich was named second runner-up in the Ohio Fairs’ Queen contest in Columbus this past weekend.
Oestreich was one of 78 junior fair and independent fair queens to compete in the contest held during the Ohio Fair Manager Association’s convention.
The 2023 Eastwood High School graduate, who served as a State FFA treasurer during her senior year, had plenty of practice speaking in front of crowds, talking to people she’d never met before and competing in public speaking contests. The skill served her well in the county fair and state contests.
“I put 30,000 miles and one dent (not my fault) in my car as a State FFA officer,” Oestreich said. “I traveled all over the state facilitating workshops, giving speeches at banquets and presenting professional development with FFA members.”
Because she knew the Ohio Fairs’ queen role would have similar responsibilities, Oestreich talked to the judges about the importance of communication, advocacy, and the ability to quickly make genuine connections with people.
She made the first cut from 78 to 15 contestants, which involved a 10-minute interview with two judges. The initial round was relatively simple, Oestreich said. Early in the interview, she found a connection with one of the judges, “who worked in the same building as I do, two floors down,” she said.
“It was a ’the world-is-tiny-moment’ when I learned that he represents the 95th District in the Ohio House of Representatives, and I work as a constituent’s liaison for Rep. Jay Edwards, who represents the 94th District,” she said. They even share part of Washington County in their districts.
The next test to whittle the top 15 down to the top five started with the girls on the stage. They were asked to “define a word in their own terms.” Oestreich’s word was “motivation.”
“What makes Wood County Junior Fair special is our kids aren’t motivated by banners, trophies or titles. They are motivated by the desire to be the best they can be and to make their community proud,” she said.
Following the on-stage portion, the top 15 went through another round of interviews with all of the judges. Her interview lasted about 30 minutes and involved “way more difficult questions,” from “How would the world be different if women ruled the world?” to “What kind of community service would you invest in as queen?”
For the extended interviews, Oestreich and the others were in full pageant mode with prom dresses, makeup, and donning their county crowns and sashes.
“I talked a lot about communication thanks to my involvement in FFA and 4-H,” she said. The skill to talk to sponsors, grownups, teachers and students has been instrumental in her training. She participated in public speaking competitions starting in her freshman year of being an Eastwood FFA member.
During the interview, she also explained the importance of advocacy, which was introduced to her on a trip to Washington, D.C. Her part-time job at the Ohio Statehouse has expanded her view of advocacy.
“My district is in southeast Ohio, so the things they need advocating for are very different than what I’ve grown up with. Learning how to advocate for people who are like me as well as for those who aren’t like me helped me get to the top 15 and then the top five,” she said.
The last skill she discussed came, at least in part, from her time working at FFA Camp last summer. “Every week about 150 kids would flow in, and we were expected to know their names and their stories. But every week they would leave, and a new bus would come in on Monday, and we’d do it all again,” she explained.
That experience pushed her to make genuine connections quickly, “which was one skill that I knew would make me a good candidate for the Ohio Fairs’ Queen,” Oestreich said.
As a top-five winner, Oestreich is considered a member of the court along with Queen Leah Shuhart, Muskingum County; first runner-up Jillian Overmyer, Preble County; third runner-up Madeline Cain, Vinton County; and fourth runner-up Ava Knapke, Mercer County.
“I’m really excited for the fair queen and all the experiences she gets to have. She’s really, really nice,” Oestreich said about Shuhart. “It was such a cool experience, and getting to meet everybody was good,” she said. ”It was also a wonderful opportunity for personal and professional development.”
Immediately after the convention, Oestreich had to prepare to move to Columbus where she is a second-semester freshman at Ohio State University, studying political science and minoring in Spanish and agricultural communications. She is also a member of Circle K, Sigma Alpha professional agricultural sorority, chair of the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Student Council, chair of the Young Leaders’ Conference and a scholar student for the Law Society at Ohio State.
Oestreich expressed her gratitude to the senior fair board for paying the registration and expenses to compete. “I am so grateful they sent me and for the experience and all the people I got to meet,” she said.
She also thanked the senior fair board delegates at the convention, including Jessica Nagel, who helped her with the application and at the convention, her 4-H and FFA advisors, and the Wood County Extension Office. She was especially appreciative of her parents Matt and Leslie Oestreich, especially her father, who was with her throughout the competition and “was outside of his comfort zone when it was him and about 70 other pageant moms” with their daughters, she said with a laugh.
The Wood County Junior Fair Court is another group that Oestreich has relied on since being crowned queen last summer.
“The royalty court has seven other junior fair members, and I couldn’t ask for a better court. They always step up when we are doing community service projects or going to fairs,” she said. “We are very close and able to get along well. I’m so grateful for them; they make me look good.”
“Wood County has a great group of youth that apply to be our royalty each year. Katie rose to the top of our group with a really strong resume and great communication skills. We knew those skills were going to represent our county well in the Ohio Fairs’ Queen contest,” said Nagel. “Katie is a great representation of Wood County Junior Fair members, and we are extremely proud of her accomplishments.”
