Szpila eager to represent Antique Festival

Shelby Szpila doesn’t have a lot of experience when it comes to the challenges of participating in queen contests, but her smile, charm and outgoing nature were on display during the annual Holmes County Antique Festival queen contest on Sunday, Oct. 1 at Harvest Ridge near Millersburg.

Szpila and several other young women took the stage in search of becoming the 2023-24 Antique Festival queen, and it would be Szpila who would emerge with the tiara.

Joining Szpila in the royal court were first runner-up Jarah Gurley and second runner-up Rebekah Carroll. Elianna White was crowned Antique Festival princess while Audrey Schlabach was first runner-up and Adeline Kline was second runner-up.

For Szpila, the new experience of competing was one she enjoyed, and she said the upcoming year of representing her festival and her home county should be a fun one as she tours with her court.

“I really love the idea that I will now get to go around and meet all of these wonderful new people,” Szpila said. “This is an honor, and I’m even more excited that I am the person who will now get to go around and represent the Antique Festival and Holmes County.”

She said it is incredible that as she travels the state attending many other festivals and fairs, her speech and her representation could be the reason some people decide to come to Holmes County and Millersburg to experience all of the things she will talk about while touring.

“My hope is that I will represent our county and festival in a way that encourages people to come here and visit all the shops, try all the great food and view this beautiful area,” Szpila said.

She said outgoing Queen Becca Schuch has been an amazing representative for the Antique Festival in her year of touring the state, and Szpila said it is her honor to continue that tradition that so many queens and royalty have performed before her.

She said she learned much from Schuch and especially from former Queen Sydney Rolince, whose family history is littered with Holmes County Antique Festival royalty. She said Rolince was someone who truly stepped up and helped her gain insight into what the role of queen entails, with how to navigate through the contest and, most importantly, about all of the fun she will have throughout the following year.

A junior at West Holmes High School, Szpila said she had zero experience competing in any type of queen or princess contest and decided she would try something new that challenged her to step out of her comfort zone.

“I was so nervous during the contest I was shaking,” Szpila said.

During her speech in the contest, Szpila spoke about places of interest to visit around Holmes County including the Millersburg Victorian House, Hershberger’s Farm and Historic Downtown Millersburg.

She said her first stop on the tour will be the Circleville Pumpkin Festival, which has been a favorite of many queens and princesses over the years. She said from there it will be a whirlwind of traveling and celebrating Ohio’s many festivals and towns.

One of the things she will be asked to do during that tour will be to get up in front of people to talk about Holmes County and the Antique Festival. That is something she relishes, despite the fact many people’s worst fear is speaking in front of crowds.

“That doesn’t bother me at all,” Szpila said. “I actually enjoy talking to people and giving presentations, and I am excited to share about our county and hopefully people will be excited about what I have to share.”