By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Henry Strow has fair royalty in his blood, and Elizabeth Strawman has agriculture in hers. They were crowned Junior Fair King and Queen at opening ceremonies of the Wood County Fair Sunday night.
Henry’s father, Bob, was king in 1983 and his aunt, Peggy, was on the royal court during her 4-H career. The Bowling Green High School graduate and 10-year member of Leaders of Tomorrow represented the club in the king and queen contest. He shows cattle and woodworking projects at the fair.
He admitted he had his sights on the king’s crown for a long time. He’s had challenges along the way, but his passion for 4-H and the fair came through during the interview.
“I love the fair,” Henry said.
He has always been a member who wasn’t afraid to do the work and give his all, said Jenny Morlock, Wood County 4-H program assistant. “I’ve enjoyed watching Henry Strow grow as a 4-H member, in his project work and as a camp counselor,” she said. “He’s just a really solid kid.”
Though Henry has thought about being junior fair king for many years, he was still surprised when his name was called.
He thought maybe his ability to talk about the fair and his lifelong involvement helped him earn the title. “I talked the whole time, about my 4-H experiences and the fair. They asked a few questions, but I never talked that well before,” he said with a smile.
Henry is the son of Angela and Robert Strow. He was active in Bowling Green High School’s FFA program and served as a junior fair board member. He also was named to the 4-H Honor Court earlier this month.
Elizabeth, who represented the Perry Go-Getters 4-H Club, also was surprised and pleased about being named Junior Fair Queen.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been wanting to do this,” she said. “But honestly, I never thought I’d get an opportunity like this; the competition is tough,” because everyone involved in the junior fair is dedicated and works hard.
Elizabeth, the daughter of Timothy and Rose Strawman, has shown market goats at the fair throughout the 10 years she has been in 4-H. She also has a breeding doe and a few years ago she started breeding Hereford cattle. She is participating in all those shows plus, she added a market lamb this year.
She is a recent graduate of Lakota High School, where she was involved in sports, FFA and student council, and served as class vice president. She plans to study business management at Bowling Green State University.
”It’s a big year,” she said, happy to put Perry Go-Getters on the royalty map with her win. “Being in 4-H, in the Perry Go-Getters, really brought me out of my shell.”
She looks forward to representing Wood County in the Ohio Fair Manager’s Association Junior Fair Queen contest in January. “I’m so happy to be here and to be your queen,” she said.
Royal Court shares the royal responsibilities
The royal court for the year includes Strow and Strawman, king and queen; first runners-up Gavin Roessner, Bowling Green FFA, and Cayla Frank, Champion Drive; second runners-up Gordon Ayers of Beaver Creek Boosters, and Faith Morgart, Farmcrafters; and third runners-up Wesley Kellermeier, Blue Ribbon Rangers, and Dakota King-Rader, Country Paws.
Gavin, the son of Kailee and Matthew Lawson, attends Bowling Green High School where he serves as president of the chapter and has earned his Chapter Degree. He participates in tennis, cross country, band and Model UN and aspires to study chemistry at Ohio State University.
Cayla has been a member of Champion Drive 4-H for 12 years, currently serving as vice president. She is the daughter of Roger and Dana Frank. A member of the Junior Fair Board, she also is on the Junior Leadership Board, 4-H committees and served as a camp counselor. At Elmwood High School, where she will be a senior and class president this fall, she is vice president of the FFA chapter and active in National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, cheerleading and dance. After graduation, she plans to study chemical engineering at a four-year college.
Gordon represented Beaver Creek Boosters 4-H Club in the contest. He attends Otsego High School where he is a two-year officer of the Otsego-Penta FFA chapter and a State FFA Degree recipient. He is on the basketball team and also track and field team where he throws shot put and disk. His parents are Debbie Belleville and Dave Ayers. In addition to serving on the Junior Fair Board, Goron has been a 4-H camp counselor.
Faith, a nine-year member of Farmcrafters 4-H Club and club secretary, is the daughter of Brandon and Andrea morgart. At Elmwood High School, where she will be a senior this fall, Faith participates in varsity volleyball, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, FFA, National Honor Society and Latitude Volleyball Club. After graduation, she plans to study nursing at a four-year college.
Wesley serves as vice president of Blue Ribbon Rangers, where he has been a member for 10 years. The recent graduate of Otsego High School is the son of Will and Kara Kellermeier. He plans to attend Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, to study business and run track and cross country.
Dakota, who is the daughter of Zach and Stacey King, is a nine-year member of Country Paws 4-H Club. She has served as reporter and vice president and is currently president. At Elmwood High School, she participated in FFA, FCA, Spanish Club, Royal Nation News and varsity softball. She plans to attend Ohio Northern University to major in nursing.
Jenny Morlock is front and center in Junior Fair Parade
For more than 30 years, Wood County 4-H program assistant Jenny Morlock has been behind the scenes of the Wood County Junior Fair Parade. She is the familiar face taking photographs of 4-H floats and encouraging the club members to cheer and chant to get pumped up for the Wod County Fair’s opening night event.
This year, she was front and center at the parade as the Grand Parade Marshal for the parade. She was one of four people nominated for the prestigious role of parade grand marshal and became the top vote-getter at the July Fair Board meeting. Joining her in the parade truck were her husband, Rob, who was Junior Fair King in 1984, three years before she wore the queen crown and family members Maddi and Jack Hagemeyer, Jayme Morlock, Andrew Kramp and Alya Kramp, who all represented the family’s longtime ties to 4-H and FFA.
In addition to her 33-year career with the Wood County 4-H program, Morlock ‘s 4-H connections go back to her childhood. She was a member of the Custar Busy Belles 4-H Club, the same club in which her mother, Rita, had been a member.
Through the club, she took many projects, mostly miscellaneous projects, and served in club leadership roles, yet when she went to 4-H camp, “it changed my whole world and opened the doors for the fair opportunities,” she said during a recent interview. I met people from all over the county. I still talk to Denise, my best friend that I met in Cabin Eight, 40-some years ago.”
She had no idea her 4-H and Junior Fair Board involvement would lead to a career as a 4-H professional. “I wasn’t heading down that road,” she said. “I actually got my cosmetology license.”
Former 4-H Secretary Betty Marlow said she was thinking of retiring and wondered if Morlock would be interested in the position. She was and she got it. “Here I am 33 years later at my 34th fair.”
Through her own 4-H years and her time in the extension office, Morlock has counted cattle, tattooed rabbits, mixed countless milkshakes and seen multiple generations of youth become caring, responsible volunteers.
When asked about the highlights thus far (she’s not planning to retire anytime soon), she acknowledged working with the youths, their families and volunteers has been the most rewarding.
The junior fair experience hasn’t changed much since her time, she said. Members run the shows and work behind the scenes to gather the awards and organize the details.
“We are so blessed to have such wonderful kids in our junior fair program. They work so hard and form friendships that last a lifetime by working through all those different areas,” she said.
The 2024 Wood County Junior Fair Queen Madi Lee paid special tribute to the community that supported her throughout the year. “But I saved one very special person to be mentioned on her own, because Jenny Morlock deserves to be recognized, not just as part of the Extension team, but as someone who has personally impacted my life,” she told the crowd.
“Jenny’s the kind of person who radiates kindness, who is always smiling even when juggling a hundred things at once,” Madi said. “She works tirelessly behind the scenes, and she made every event feel lighter, every room feel warmer, and every stressful moment more manageable. She’s a heartbeat behind so many of our programs, and I’m endlessly grateful for the countless ways she made this year so special.”
The parade also included five county high school marching bands, 2024 queen and king Lee and Logan Benedict, 30 king and queen candidates, nearly 20 floats by 4-H clubs and FFA chapters, Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn and his son James, and an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, reminding everyone to wear seatbelts, and not speed, drive distracted or drive impaired.
