BUCYRUS—While there is still no consensus between the Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival Board and the legal counsel for terminated Queen Abagail Brocwell, Galion Attorney Roberta Wade still seeks answers.
Crawford County Now received several messages concerning a Facebook post readers felt was intentionally aimed at Brocwell.
But most troubling to readers was the author of the post.
The post was placed on the Facebook page belonging to the new Bucyrus Chamber of Commerce Director, Averee Ryann Richardson. The gif, featuring a crown, said: “Queens don’t bully little girls…”
Richardson, who joined the chamber in February, serves on the Junior Princess Pageant Committee. Her Facebook page features photos and commentary about this year’s pageant.
When contacted by Crawford County Now, Richardson said she had posted the gif at a friend’s request in solidarity with another festival because their Queen was terminated for bullying.
When asked if she thought the gif was appropriate considering her position as Chamber Director, her role in the pageant, as well as the insinuation that mistreatment of younger royalty was part of the reason for Brocwell’s termination, Richardson responded:
“The Chamber doesn’t own me. I can post whatever I want on my own page.”
When asked if she could understand why some people might see the gif as a slam toward Abbie, Richardson replied:”
Queens are not synonymous with pageants. There are queens everywhere. It was a general message against bullying. I’m not even sure how people could make the leap from that to Abbie. To the best of my knowledge bullying was not the reason Abbie lost her crown.”
Upon further investigation, Crawford County Now reached out to the festival that Richardson referred to when she explained the original reason for her gif. Crawford County Now contacted the festival to inquire about the Queen, who was terminated for bullying. We received this response from that board:
“No idea what this email is about but the XXXXXXXX Festival Queen XXXXXXXXX was not terminated, and we have never terminated anyone for bullying.”
Due to the serious allegations of bullying, the festival’s name and the Queen’s name were redacted for the purpose of this article.
Crawford County Now reached out to the Brocwell family, who acknowledged they’d seen the gif but had no comment.
Brocwell’s attorney had no comment at this time.