March 28, 2024

Ohio State Fair Junior Fair Board with Olivia Yost fourth from right. Submitted photo.

Ohio State Fair Junior Fair Board with Olivia Yost fourth from right. Submitted photo.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Racine youth has been selected to serve on the Ohio State Junior Fair Board.

The Ohio State Fair announced the names of the Junior Fair Board members on July 6, 2018 and among them is Racine native, Olivia Yost. Yost is on the board representing Grange. This is the second year Yost has severed on the State  Junior Fairboard.

The Ohio State Fair Junior Fair Board is made up of our great state’s best and brightest young leaders, hand-picked to contribute to the success of the Ohio State Fair each year. Selected to represent their respective youth organizations, these students serve on behalf of thousands of students across Ohio. As ambassadors for 4-H, FFA, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Farm Bureau, Grange and Tech Ed, they are able to share their experiences and emphasize the value of the Junior Fair with patrons throughout the 12 days of the Fair.

Additionally, this year’s Ohio State Fair Junior Fair Board is comprised of other highly qualified individuals from across the state, including many experienced second-year board members: Aryn Copeland, Farm Bureau, Second Year, President, Nevada; Kameron Rinehart, FFA, Second Year, Vice, President, Jeffersonville; Amanda Morgan, 4-H, Second Year, Reporter and Public Relations Chair, Columbus; Nikiya Coburn, Girl Scouts, Second Year, Secretary, Hilliard; Mackenzie Donley, 4-H, Second Year, Wooster; Adam McCandless, Tech Ed, Second Year, Hamilton; Meredith Oglesby, FFA, Second Year, Hillsboro; Noor Alshafie, 4-H, Columbus; Jackie Brandon, Tech Ed, Dublin; Audrey Heitzman
FFA, Blanchester; Rachael Herring, Girl Scouts, Harpster; Brendan Kleman, Boy Scouts, Circleville; Andrew Moyer
FFA, Wilmington; Jason Shiltz, Grange, Troy; Kamala Sweeney, 4-H, Canal Winchester; and Kaitlin Willi, Tech Ed, West Lake.

The Ohio State Fair Junior Fair Board, comprised of 16 members ages 16-19, comes together for two weeks of hard work, building enduring friendships and professional relationships along the way. Their personalities and experiences provide a youthful and fun perspective as they fill the roles of welcoming officials at livestock shows, performances, the daily parade and other exhibits. In addition, the Junior Fair Board serve as Smokey Bear’s courteous assistants, friendly faces during family activities, customer service representatives and enthusiastic companions of our Fair’s mascot, Butters D. Cow.

Their contributions to a successful Ohio State Fair are irreplaceable. Ohio State Fair General Manager Virgil Strickler recognizes the impact of these ambitious youth, “The Ohio State Fair Junior Fair Board members are honored for their previous accomplishments and demonstration of leadership skills by being selected to serve on the Junior Fair Board. Through this experience, they will expand their leadership development and give back to the state of Ohio.”

The Ohio Expo Center is proud to host the Ohio State Fair. With big-name entertainment, educational activities, hundreds of exhibits and one of the largest junior livestock shows in the nation, the 2018 Ohio State Fair will run July 25 – Aug. 5.