“A dream is a wish your heart makes” This quote is from one of my favorite fairytales.  On August 19^th my dream came true and my fairytale took place at the Somerset County Fair where I reigned as the 2018 Somerset County Fair Queen.  As my year as queen comes to an end, I am thankful for all the experiences and opportunities I was blessed with.

I had the opportunity to advocate for not only my favorite fair on earth, but also for the agriculture community.   I have also been able to enhance my public speaking and communication skills as queen.  I was even able to compete in Hershey for the state queen title in January.  I may not have won the title, but I made many more friends and memories along the way.  My favorite part as queen would have to be spreading the joy and spirit of the fair.  I loved being able to make others smile just by giving them a small wave.  To me, seeing the smile on young 4-Hers as I hand them their first blue ribbon is priceless.  My favorite memory of the fair would have to be Tuesday night at the pig show.  Just minutes before our show was to begin, a torrential downpour occurred, flooding our pig barn, but this did not deter anyone.  All hands were on deck as pigs were moved to higher ground and water was shoveled out of the barn.  I love telling this story because to me it shows the strength and power of our Somerset County Fair Community.  We all worked together and our pig show went on as planned.  This was quite usual for us for what is the Somerset County Fair without a little rain?

None of these memories and opportunities would be possible without my parents, John and Janie Hemminger.  Thank you for always being there and encouraging me to always do my best along the way.  You guys may embarrass me all the time, but I would never trade my escort/chauffeur and manager for the world.  Secondly, I need to thank my Aunt Amy Hemminger and Grandma Sandy Baer.  Thank you both for being my dress consultants and always making time to listen to me practice.  To the rest of my family and friends, thank you all for always having my back as I went on this journey.  I knew I was never alone.  You all have given me endless amounts of support that I will never forget and cannot thank all of you enough.  Lastly, thank you to all the fair board members and my fair queen advisors, Larry and Gail Hay.  Without all of you the fair would be impossible and my dream would have never come true.  For Larry and Gail, two of the most wonderful people I have ever met, this contest and my experience would not have been as wonderful without the both of you.  A girl could have never asked for better coordinators.  How did I get so lucky?  The Somerset County Fair has helped me grow into the woman I am today.  I will never forget all the memories I have made as an exhibitor and queen.  Hopefully, one day I can share even more memories at the fair with my own family.