Former Jacktown Fair Queen recaps her year
Being selected 2017 Miss Jacktown Fair Queen was a perfect fit for 17-year-old Courtney Ross of Aleppo.
The soon-to-be senior at West Greene High School, as part of her responsibilities at the fairgrounds after capturing the title, was to hand out ribbons during livestock judging.
However, as a member of 4-H and FFA, Ross, daughter of Steve and Brandie Ross of Aleppo, also showed animals at the fair, keeping her quite busy at the livestock barns.
“It’s been a pretty amazing year,” she said.
In addition to riding in several parades, Ross recalled how surprised she was by walking through the Jacktown Fairgrounds and having little girls come up to her and say, “I love you,” and wanting to touch her crown.
“One of my best memories was being given a supply of plastic crowns and being able to pass them out to all the little kids I saw,” she said.
That memory will be with her for a lifetime and as the Jacktown Fair – the oldest continuously running fair in the nation – prepares to kickoff its 153rd year next week, Ross reflected on her yearlong reign as queen.
The highlight, of course, came when the crown was placed on her head by 2016 Miss Jacktown Fair Queen Laura Wise. But once the pomp and excitement of the crowning ended it was time for Ross to begin her duties.
“It was busy during fair week, but I was quite comfortable being around the animals because I had raised them,” she said.
Her responsibilities did not end at the conclusion of the fair. She attended other county fairs and Rain Day and competed in a state pageant in Hershey that all county fair queens must attend.
She admitted she will be sad when it comes time to relinquish her crown.
“I am trying not to think about that just now,” she said.
However, Courtney will have to pass on the title to either Amber Finch, 16, daughter of Bonnie and Allen Shough of Wind Ridge and Michael Finch of Bristoria, or Ashley Rogers, 18, daughter of Carla and Dave Jacobs of Graysville and Brian and Heather Rogers of Bobtown.
Ross, who hopes to attend West Virginia University and major in elementary education after graduating from West Greene, said her experience as queen has boosted her self confidence when it came to being around large numbers of people.
What advice does she have for the new queen?
“Just have fun,” she said. “The year goes by very fast.”