Ringwalt, Van Dalen new Holmes County Fair royalty

There is new royalty representing the Holmes County Junior Fair, and as always, it is filled with quality young adults who have worked hard to grow into leadership roles in their respective communities, the fair, 4-H, FFA and their county.

On Monday, Aug. 4, in the marge arena at Harvest Ridge, five outstanding teens took center stage during the annual Holmes County Junior Fair King & Queen Coronation.

In a tight contest among five friends, Madison Ringwalt emerged as queen and Logan Van Dalen was crowned king. Their court will include Cassidy Holasek, Miles Mallasch and Tristan Houin.

For Ringwalt, the opportunity to serve her county and fair as queen is something she has looked forward to ever since watching her sister Dakota serve as royalty in the past.

She said her sister showed her how much joy comes from attending all of the Ohio fairs and events and saw her grow personally, things that helped cement her desire to follow suit.

She also said her experience in both West Holmes FFA and Holmes County 4-H helped shape her as a person.

“They kind of go hand in hand,” she said of the two experiences.

Ringwalt said her mother is a 4-H advisor and thus, she got to participate in the planning of events and see firsthand how 4-H operates and helps kids grow as leaders in the community.

She added that FFA (where she is the current president) was a joy because she got to spend time with her friends.

She said being a role model for little girls around the state is something that is enticing to her.

“I’m always someone who wants to make a positive impact on others,” Ringwalt said. “This is something I’m not going to take lightly. I’m honored to be able to represent Holmes County.”

Ringwalt added that the entire crew of royalty is made up of seniors at West Holmes High School, and they have gotten along well throughout their 4-H and FFA lives, so it only adds to the joy of traveling together.

“I’m looking forward to traveling to all of the different fairs,” Ringwalt said. “I’ve traveled to a few but not a bunch, so this year I’ll have the opportunity to travel to more.”

She added that sitting down and chatting with outgoing queen Jenna Sheldon is going to be a must to gain some insight into what to expect.

Van Dalen took a very different route to becoming king, having not raised any animals and having not grown up in an agricultural area.

“I was never really heavily involved with anything in agriculture until my freshman year when I joined FFA,” Van Dalen said. “I was never even in 4-H. So, this means a lot knowing that I can kind of prove to some kids who are like me, having grown up with no ag background, that they can get into it at any point and time. It shows (kids) that it can be accomplished without an ag background. I hope I can become a role model in the coming months and even years down the road. I’ve kind of paved my own path, and I want to help others do the same.”

While he doesn’t show animals at the fair, Van Dalen does participate in many different contests in FFA, and he said West Holmes FFA ag advisor Jaime Chenevey pushed him hard and helped him build experience and blossom as a member of the FFA.

Outgoing king Quetin Verhs and queen Sheldon were equally impressed with the quintet of new royalty members and said that they will do a wonderful job representing Holmes County and the fair throughout the coming year.

They also expressed gratitude to all of those who played a role in their past year’s successes and travels.

“I truly appreciate all of the wonderful people who made this opportunity possible,” Sheldon said. “I also want to thank this wonderful community for being a county that I can be proud to represent.”

The current queen and king then proceeded to ask each participant a random question before finishing the contest by announcing the new king and queen and their court.

“I know that they are going to do a great job representing this faith and Holmes County,” Sheldon said of the new royalty.

The entire royalty crew didn’t get to rest, performing many duties throughout this year’s fair, thus kicking off their year of representing the Holmes County Fair in style.

Ringwalt and Van Dalen both received a crown, sash, camping chair and a $1,000 scholarship, which will be presented to them at the end of their reign.