Jul 31, 2018 5 min read

Summer is supposed to be a time for vacation, to relax and to take some time off from our busy schedules. Don’t tell that to Ashlin Hawkinberry – the 17-year-old from Hickory is just hitting her stride as Washington County Agricultural Fair Queen. This summer, she spoke to preschool classes about agriculture and how plants grow, plus she appeared in multiple parades for July 4 and other festivals around the county. Then, of course, there’s the upcoming annual fair where she’ll have to crown her successor. She admits that will be a bittersweet moment.

“I get sad every time I think about it because it was such a fun year,” Hawkinberry says.

The past year has flown by, thanks to all of Hawkinberry’s duties as fair queen. They began right after her crowning last August. Members of the fair board made sure to assure her that her first duty was to her animals – they always come first. In addition to showing her animals, she spent the duration of the 2017 fair passing out ribbons for many contests, speaking to a preschool class attending the fair and even introducing the monster trucks on the public address system. Hawkinberry remembers one particular moment riding in a golf cart on the fairgrounds while wearing her tiara. She saw a little girl crying and waved to her.

“I gave her a hug and she immediately calmed down, and it made her happy. It was crazy.”

The end of the fair didn’t mean Hawkinberry’s duties were over for the year. She appeared in several Christmas parades and kicked off 2018 by representing the Washington County Fair in Hershey at the January state Association of County Fairs convention against 57 other contestants. Part of her presentation in that pageant was to tout that she represented the only county fair in Pennsylvania that you can travel to by trolley.

“It didn’t seem so nerve-wracking until you’re up there in front of 400 people with the spotlight on you,” she says with a laugh.

Hawkinberry has been adept at juggling her fair queen duties while keeping up with her school activities and her animals.

“We have horses, goats, pigs, chickens and bunnies … the whole nine yards,” she adds.

Staying busy is nothing new for this rising Fort Cherry Junior Senior High School senior. “I did cheer last year, and this year I plan to try track. I like to try something new, and I have FFA and 4H, which keep me very busy.”

Agriculture and the tradition of the Washington County Agricultural Fair are in her blood. “I’ve been going to it since I was first born,” she says. “We started staying in a camper the whole week so we could be with our animals 24/7. People think it’s stressful, but it’s like a mini vacation. I show a horse and a market hog and a dairy goat.”

Watching the annual fair queen competition was also a favorite tradition for her. When she turned 16, she was finally eligible to enter.

“I’ve been in 4H since I was 5 and FFA since ninth grade,” Hawkinberry says. “Every year, it was a tradition for me to go watch the fair queen pageant. I always like to watch it to hear the girls talk and stand up in their pretty dresses. It was always something I wanted to do.”

Contestants must be aged 16 to 20, reside in Washington County and exhibit at the fair. Eight contestants entered last year and were judged on poise, appropriateness of appearance, neatness, personality, articulation and their potential as a youth ambassador. Hawkinberry had to write a speech and answer five minutes of impromptu questions. The final question was how she would teach young children about the importance of agriculture.

“I said, ‘Games – play a fun agriculture game with them,'” says Hawkinberry. “Since I have little siblings, I know they don’t have a big attention span.”

Hawkinberry was the youngest of the contestants but showed her poise.

“I’ve never been more nervous in my life,” she admits. “When they called my name, I finally realized it was me and I cried, then my mom stood up and started crying.”

She says she got good advice from the 2016 queen, Amanda Hackinson, who told her to just let her love of the fair show through to the judges.

When the 2018 fair begins, Hawkinberry will finish out her reign and perform her final duties as fair queen all while showing her pigs, horses and dairy goats. Despite her busy schedule, she says she wants to savor her senior year in high school and plans to go to college. Her top school right now is West Virginia University because of its outstanding agricultural programs and its close proximity to home.

“I have younger siblings, so I want to stay close to home so I can come home as much as I can,” she says. Hawkinberry plans to study social sciences and minor in an agricultural field.

30 Washington County Fair Queens

1988

Kelly Townsend

PA Fair Queen

1989

Denise Sustrick

PA Fair Queen

1990

Audra Redick

1991

Jonie Farrar

1992

Jennifer Robison

1993

Marcy McCuean

1994

Debbie Masters

1995

Carrie Kaufman

1996

Joanne Stanley

1997

Kate McMaster

1998

Frances Kaufman

1999

Samantha Martin

State Miss Confeniality

2000

Sherry Tucker

2001

Kylie Pajak

First Runner-Up PA Fair Queen

2002

Laramey Dille

2003

Laura Pfeifer

2004

Jillian McClure

2005

Alia Pajak

2006

Megan Weinstock

2007

Jamie Finch

Top 5 State Finalist

2008

Samantha Sarnicke

Top 5 State Finalist

2009

Amanda Holub

2010

Chelsea Mankey

2011

Elisabeth Leasure

Top 5 State Finalist

2012

Lena Bioni

2013

Makala VanVarenberg

2014

Rachel Painter

2015

Rachel Naser

2016

Amanda Hackinson

2017

Ashlin Hackinberry

2018

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And she has one bit of advice for contestants in this year’s fair queen pageant: “There’s no need to be nervous. All you need to do is to be yourself.”