SURPRISE: Kate Spurgeon named 4-H fair queen, but thought someone else had won

Amid friends’ and family members’ swirl of congratulatory hugs and kisses for Bartholomew County 4-H Fair Queen Kate Spurgeon Sunday evening, the winner herself was saving a smooch for someone.

Well, um, maybe.

That would be one of the entrants in the upcoming fair’s frog jumping contest. Eighteen-year-old Spurgeon, looking very princess-like in a glittering evening gown at Columbus North High School’s Judson Erne Auditorium, mentioned the princely idea moments after she was crowned in front of an estimated — and COVID-19 restricted — crowd of about 400 people.

“Every year at that contest, somebody has tried to get me to kiss a frog,” Spurgeon said. “And I always have said no. So this is maybe the question of the year for me: Will I now finally kiss a frog as queen? Well, I don’t know. This will be kind of like a Disney tale.”

Give credit to Spurgeon, the just-graduated captain of her Columbus East High School track team, for being a good sport onstage at the end of the event. She lost track of emcee Mike Mensendiek’s announcements of winners, from Miss Congeniality Olivia Shoaf, to First Runner-Up Chloe Sims. Spurgeon truly thought she lost, but still smiled nonetheless.

“I didn’t even realize there still was one more (name) to go,” Spurgeon said. “I thought it was over. I was just a little sad, but so happy for everybody else who got something.”

Spurgeon has spent a decade in 4-H, where she has now raised 22 Boer goats on her family’s farm and earned her share of ribbons since her her days as a fourth-grader. That background seemingly will serve her well as a farm management major this fall at Purdue University. Yet, while she nurtured her animals through the years, she also nurtured the idea of being in the queen competition. As a youngster, she always looked up to the contestants.

And Sunday, she wanted to talk mostly about the 10 other queen candidates who surrounded her.

“I cannot fully express how amazing each and every one of them are,” she said. “A lot of us have gone to school together. And others of us have just bonded this past day.”

Amazing might be a good word to describe Spurgeon’s community compassion via her senior project — renovating a quiet room with paint and shelving for clients at nonprofit Just Friends Adult Day Services, which cares for the frail elderly living with limitations such as dementia. A questioner arched an eyebrow about her carpentry skills amid her multiple other talents.

“My new side hobby,” she said with a laugh, confessing that dad Aaron Spurgeon helped.

Mom Kari Spurgeon beamed with pride afterward as she watched her daughter mingle. She mentioned that she was most proud of her teen’s onstage answer to how Bartholomew County has changed the most in five years. Spurgeon mentioned the pandemic, and how people have learned anew to help one another.

The mother smiled when someone asked if she could take any credit for the roots of her daughter’s success.

“We’ve just tried to instill in her a strong Christian faith,” mom said.

And maybe, just maybe, a faith that kissing a frog could be a crowning bit of fun amid her royal duties.

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The court presiding over the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair June 25 to July 3:

  • Queen: Kate Spurgeon
  • 1st Runnerup: Chloe Sims
  • 2nd Runnerup: Emma Nolting
  • 3rd Runnerup: Caitlyn Smith
  • Miss Congeniality: Olivia Shoaf

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Before the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair Queen contest got underway Sunday, glow sticks were distributed to the crowd in memory of longtime 4-H member Sarah Taylor of Hope.

Taylor died of cancer Sept. 10 at age 15 after a 10-month battle, and a fortitude and upbeat attitude that impacted many. In 4-H, she excelled in projects including wildlife, home environment, performing arts, and her favorite — welding.

"We are honored to recognize the light that Sarah continues to shine in our community," said emcee Mike Mensendiek.

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