Carla Clark | For The Republic
A recent graduate of Columbus East High School competed against 12 other contestants and emerged to become the 2023 Bartholomew County 4-H Fair Queen.
Lilly Smith, the 2023 Bartholomew County 4-H fair queen, with her court, Makena Jackson, first runner-up, Riley Carothers, second runner-up, Carlie Menefee, third runner-up and Annie Hughes, Miss Congeniality, during the 2023 Bartholomew County 4-H Fair queen pageant at Columbus North Judson Erne Auditorium in Columbus on Saturday.
Carla Clark | For The Republic
Lilly Smith, the 18-year-old daughter of Mark and Linda Smith, received her crown and sash from last year’s pageant winner, Marnie Schwartzkopf, in front of a crowd of about 250 Saturday in the Columbus North Judson Erne Auditorium.
Smith said she didn’t believe her ears when her name was announced.
“I’m in shock,” Smith said. I can’t wait for fair week to arrive.” The fair begins Friday and continue through July 1.
Sponsored by MDM Trucking, Smith is extremely familiar with both 4-H and the annual fair. During her 10 years as a 4-H member, she has competed in a variety of areas ranging from swine, beef, foods and floriculture to woodworking, recycling, collection and arts and crafts.
“I’ve always loved the fair, it’s my favorite time of the year, and I want to experience everything the fair has to offer,” Smith said.
Her past honors include the Christian Attitude Award and the Olympian Award for cheerleading.
Members of the Queen’s Court this year are:
- First runner-up: Makena Jackson, daughter of Robert and Cathy Jackson.
- Second runner-up: Riley Carothers, daughter of Ross and Shelli Carothers.
- Third runner-up: Carlie Menefee, daughter of Patrick and Katie Menefee.
- ‘Miss Congeniality’: Antoinette “Annie” Hughes, daughter of Lisa Shafer and Jerry & Brooke Hughes.
Like most 4-H competitions, extra care is taken to ensure that no personal bias is involved in the selection of the queen and her court. The three judges were from Rush, Monroe and Dubois counties. They were given the opportunity to interview each of the contestants earlier in the day.
The local pageant took its opening from the theme of this year’s Indiana State Fair: “Basketball – Celebrating the State that Grew the Game.”
When the curtain first rose, all 13 contestants were in basketball uniforms spouting the words “All Star”. With Schwartzkopf acting as coach, most of the young ladies demonstrated some athletic prowess, and appeared more than capable of passing the ball quickly in a conventional training exercise. In one demonstration, they passed the ball over their heads down a line to one another.
After the ball was set aside, each was asked to name a person who was most responsible for making them an ‘All Star’. Answers often ranged from a parent to a teacher to a group or church organizer. However, a number of contestants received applause after they chose to credit several different people for instilling their positive qualities.
The competition included a formal work attire segment. While Master of Ceremonies Mike Mensendiek described experiences and honors, the young ladies used the opportunity to thank their individual sponsors.
In the evening gown competition, 2023 Outstanding 4-H Youth Wyatt Lancaster picked random questions drawn from a basket, and each contestant had to think fast on her feet.
Each contestant in the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair Queen contest must be at least 16, and cannot have had her 22nd birthday as of June 1, 2024. But in order to advance to the Indiana State Fair Queen pageant, a contestant is ineligible if she is not at least 18 years of age as of June 1, 2023. That won’t be a problem early next year for Smith.
During the three-day state competition in January, Schwartzkopf competed with 80 contestants. The daughter of Jeff and Mary Schwartzkopf of Hope made it to the final Top 10 in the 2023 Indiana State Fair Queen Pageant.
She received an enthusiastic round of applause Saturday as she passed the torch on to Smith. A slide show with musical accompaniment was used to salute Schwartzkopf and her court.
