Twelve contestants vie for Ross County Fair Queen title

Shelby Reeves, Chillicothe Gazette
·2 min read

CHILLICOTHE − A new set of royalty was crowned Sunday night as the Ross County Fair held the official Queen and King Competition.

The competition featured 12 queen contenders and four king contenders. Candidates for queen were Hailey Bane, Avery Barker, Nora Beery, Rebekah Bennett, Ryleigh Bode, Olivia Chaney, Elizabeth Doles, Leila Kiser, Ellie Ratliff, Tabitha Thompson, Lily Weaver and Hannah Williamson. The king candidates were Ryan Andrews, Charley Cline, Sailor Cope and Wyatt Vick.

This year the Court Members received prize money when they won. The fourth attendant received $100, the third attendant received $150, the second attendant received $250, the first attendant received $500 and the King and Queen received $1,000 each.

During the event, contestants introduced themselves to the crowd while highlighting who they were and answered questions that told more about them and their time at the fair. Judges gave scores based on these answers which were then added to scores from personal interviews to determine a winner.

The winning courts were:

Kings Court

  • Third Attendant- Sailor Cope

  • Second Attendant- Wyatt Vick

  • First Attendant- Charley Clyne

  • King- Ryan Andrews

The 2023 Ross County Fair Court.
The 2023 Ross County Fair Court.

Queens Court

  • Fourth Attendant- Nora Beery

  • Third Attendant- Hailey Bane

  • Second Attendant- Olivia Chaney

  • First Attendant- Avery Barker

  • Queen- Ellie Ratliff

Ryan Andrews and Ellie Ratliff are the 2023 Ross County Fair King and Queen.
Ryan Andrews and Ellie Ratliff are the 2023 Ross County Fair King and Queen.

The 2022 Fair Queen Meredith Robinson congratulated winners as she said goodbye to her rein and remembered all of the fun she had over the year. She encouraged winners to make memories and have fun. She also got emotional as she thanked those, like her family, who have supported her along the way.

King Andrews said he never expected to win as all of his competitors were great but he was excited when he realized he was being crowned king. This year he is looking forward to going to all of the other fairs. Queen Ratliff is also looking forward to traveling and being able to talk to people about the Ross County Fair while also learning new ways to improve it.

While judging awards were presented for the  2023 Friend of Ross County Junior Fair, Friend of 4-H and 4-Hers of the Year. Friend of the Fair was posthumously awarded to Judy Gary, while accepting her award her husband said Gary lived for the fair. Friend of 4-H was awarded to Amy Smythe and the 4-Hers of the Year were Ella Hartmus, Gracelyn Blaney, Cameron Naumovski and Ava Palmer.

Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Ross County Fair crowns King and Queen