Sheldon’s life has prepared her for role as fair queen

If someone were to create a perfect poster child for the Holmes County 4-H Junior Fair, one might not have to look much further than Jenna Sheldon, who was tabbed as the 2024-25 Holmes County Junior Fair queen on Monday, Aug. 5 as the weeklong fair opened.

Sheldon has been an active part of Holmes County 4-H, the Holmes County Junior Fair Board and West Holmes FFA and has exemplified the leadership traits, desire to serve others, work ethic and everything else that embody the values of 4-H.

Sheldon jumped into Holmes County 4-H as soon as she could as an 8-year-old in third grade.

Since then she has poured herself into 4-H, the fair board and her community, which is why she was selected as this year’s queen among a group of talented and equally worthy candidates.

With her mother Tara Sheldon having been selected as a queen in her youth, Sheldon has been looking forward to the day when she too could run for queen and be a part of something she has eagerly anticipated.

“Before I could even be in 4-H, I found my mom’s crown and sash in a box in our basement and was just in awe,” Sheldon said. “Then I started looking back at old photos, and that got me started. I have been at the coronation every year to see who would become the newest fair queen, and it’s always been a dream to follow in my mom’s footsteps and to experience what all of those former queens experienced on stage.”

She said she felt a little nervous during the competition, but she knew how hard she has worked and the qualifications she has put in place that would impress the judges.

Her dedication to serving the fair in many different capacities has certainly made her someone who stands out, and her leadership skills and ability to speak in public are impressive.

She said everything she has experienced in 4-H, FFA and serving on the junior fair board has prepared her for the coming challenges of representing her county and fair throughout Ohio as she and her court travel around the state this coming year.

“I’ve worked really hard to get here, and I’ve practiced in front of anyone who would listen to me speak,” Sheldon said. “My family is probably sick of me.”

As the newly minted queen, Sheldon took the entire fair week and the whirlwind of activity that accompanies it in stride, knowing everything she has done leading up to this point has prepared her for the experience.

Between being at a multitude of showmanship and livestock sale events, showing her own animals, and hosting the annual celebrity showman show in the main arena that features local celebrities in the ring — an event she herself helped create several years ago — she had plenty to make this year’s fair even busier than it has been in the past.

While that hectic pace was something she found exhilarating, Sheldon said the real joy will now come throughout the next year as she gets to represent Holmes County.

“It’s an honor and privilege for me to go out and represent our amazing fair and this wonderful county,” Sheldon said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about doing. Both 4-H and FFA together have been a huge part in preparing me for this moment.”

Sheldon said she was a 4-H officer since she hit double digits in the age column, so she quickly learned to embrace speaking in front of people.

Then her experience through FFA with public speaking and parliamentary procedure helped her hone her speaking skills and erase any trepidations she might have about public speaking, which is a big part of her new role as queen.

“It’s been a crazy, fun week, everything I could have hoped for,” Sheldon said of her fair week.

Doubling queen duties with duties with the junior fair board made for an even more frenetic fair week, but that was fine for Sheldon, who quickly deflected praise to her fellow junior fair board members and even the senior fair board leaders.

She said the Holmes County Junior Fair Board is unique because most county fairs don’t allow their junior fair board team to participate in record keeping, announcing and other aspects of the fair that are usually delegated to senior members.

“Usually, junior fair board kids are relegated to support, but our senior fair board invests in us and asks us to be a part of all of it,” Sheldon said. “The effort that this whole team puts in throughout this week is amazing, and I’m so proud of all of them.”

Showcasing maturity like that is why Sheldon was selected as this year’s queen, and now she will reap the well-deserved reward for all her work as her lifelong dreams unfold throughout the coming year.