During Saturday’s royalty coronation at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, Clay Whitaker was crowned the 2021 Junior Fair king, while the title of Junior Fair queen went to Sydney Vu.
Whitaker, a junior at Buckeye Valley High School and a member of the Hams & Udders 4-H Club, said he felt honored when he was nominated to be a fair prince and was shocked when he ended up being crowned king.
“I was very surprised when I was announced as the king,” Whitaker said Monday evening. “I was not expecting it at all. Being the 2021 Delaware County Junior Fair king is a great honor to me. It is a position I hold with a high respect, and I’m thankful to the individuals that chose me.”
Whitaker said said he’s excited for the rest of the fair.
“I love the fair all together,” he said. “It is my favorite time of year. I am excited to see what the other exhibitors have done with their projects throughout the year and watching as many shows as I can. I enjoy showing my animals, and the fair food is a plus, too.”
Whitaker said he’s thankful to his parents for supporting him throughout his nine years of 4-H, and he’s also thankful to his brother and sister.
“I also want to thank everyone else that has supported me along the way,” Whitaker said. “Good luck to all the 4-Hers this year, and I hope to see everyone back next year.”
Vu, a senior at Genoa Christian Academy and president of the Critter Run 4-H Club, said she was honored when her 4-H club nominated her and added she’s grateful for the opportunity to represent the county.
“I was really honored by that opportunity,” Vu said. “The queen is the face of the fair to the public and also to other counties, so it’s a fairly big opportunity to be able represent my fair and my club at the Delaware County Fair.”
Vu said holding the title has been “a really big honor.”
“I think that our 4-H values are very important, so to be able to represent those to my fair, the public, and other counties is really important to me,” she said. “I was really excited and very, very honored by the opportunity. It made me really happy to be able to do that. This is my last year that I’ll (be as involved) as I have been in the past few years, so it was really touching to be able to be the queen this year.”
Vu said that she’s been part of 4-H for eight years, and she’s always looked up to fair queens in the past and the way they serve as role models for other 4-H members.
“(Being the queen) gives me a different perspective of the fair,” she said. “I get this perspective of being more of a leader and someone people can look up to. Other past queens have been a role model to me, so it’s interesting to be that role model to younger kids. It gives me a new perspective on the way I present myself and treat other people and things like that.”
Vu said she’s looking forward to the auction sales and is excited to visit other fairs next year as she represents Delaware County.
