BUCYRUS—The annual Crawford County Fair royalty pageant was held on Monday, July 17, on the first day of fair week.
Nine candidates vied for the titles of Queen, Princess and Prince with Lynae McKibben, Sydney Link and Cole Hudson earning the titles respectively.
This year’s queen, seventeen-year-old Lynae McKibben, attends Colonel Crawford High School and is a member of the Dairy Maids and Gents 4-H Club, through which she shows hogs.
“I’m most excited to go out and travel to other fairs, but also to do my part for our exhibitors here,” said McKibben.
When asked why she decided to run for queen this year, McKibben said, “I wanted to have the opportunity to empower and impact the exhibitors here and show everyone how great the Crawford County fair is.”
After being crowned, McKibben shared advice to those who are considering running for queen in the future.
“Never count yourself out, just go for it,” said McKibben.
This year’s fair princess is Sydney Link, a thirteen-year-old from William Crawford intermediate school. She is a member of the Liberty Leaders 4-H Club.
“I’ve enjoyed running for princess in other pageants and I like going to different fairs,” said Link.
Link was also crowned the 2022-2023 Crestline Harvest Festival Princess among other titles, so when asked what advice she would give to others running for princess, she assured that confidence is key.
“Just be yourself, it’s so much more exciting than you think it will be,” said Link.
Sharing this sentiment is Cole Hudson, this year’s prince, who attends Colonel Crawford High School and takes dairy, dairy beef and Holstein steers with the Dairy Maids and Gents 4-H Club.
Hudson says, “Go for it. It’s nerve-wracking at first, but it gets better as you go. [Running for royalty] gives you a great opportunity to see different things.”
The 2023 Crawford County Fair Royalty Court:
Queen – Lynae McKibben
Queen First Attendant – Caelinn Diekmann
Queen Second Attendant – Niyah Shipman
Prince – Cole Hudson
Princess – Sydney Link
Princess First Attendant – Sydney Furr