Fair queen no stranger to 4-H competitions
WAYNESBURG – Lindsey Gilbert is no stranger to farm animals or the fair.
The 17-year-old first started entering 4-H competitions as a young girl while caring for rabbits and raised everything from goats and sheep to pigs and cattle on her family’s 18-acre farm near Spraggs.
So she was a natural choice to be crowned the 2016 Greene County Fair queen during the pageant Sunday afternoon at the fairgrounds. Gilbert, a daughter of James and Heather Gilbert, competed with Breanna Scott for the fair queen title.
“I was shocked. It’s something I always wanted to do,” Gilbert said of winning. “The fair queen (competition) is open to anyone, but I think it’s good to have that involvement in 4-H.”
Gilbert spent her first official day as fair queen handing out ribbons and posing for photos during the goat competitions Monday morning inside the show ring at the 4-H barn. It was a natural transition to someone who spent years in the show ring with her own animals.
“It’s definitely different,” she said. “Usually I’m the one showing, but it’s nice because I know all of the classes. I’m not showing as much anymore, but I’m still able to go to the (competitions).”
She recently graduated from Waynesburg Central High School and has been taking online classes at California University of Pennsylvania. Gilbert will attend that school full-time this fall to study sociology and hopes to eventually go to law school.
Although Gilbert will show a few of her rabbits during this year’s fair, her busy schedule taking online college courses while finishing high school took time she would normally use raising her other farm animals. That’s why being named fair queen was so special since she now can participate in many of the events and spend time with the 4-H competitors who became friends over the years.
“It’s such a small community, but everyone shows up to help the kids,” Gilbert said. “It’s crazy how much it’s grown over the years.”
Greene County Fair runs through Saturday night. The rabbit show, dairy cattle show and steer show are today, and the open beef cattle show and lamb show will be Wednesday. The steer and lamb market livestock sale will be Thursday at 6:30 p.m.