Four area women, Cecelia Heberling and Lynn Bartholomew from Big Bend and Hailey Lynn Parsons and Megan Leanna from Eagle are competing for the 2013 Fairest of the Fair at the Waukesha County Fair, with final competition at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17 on the Leinie Lodge Stage.
The Fairest of the Fair, presented by Waukesha Kiwanis and Waukesha Farm Bureau, is selected on the basis of personality, communication skills, school and community activities and knowledge of the fair. While the judges deliberate, Sarah Hovey, the 2012 Fairest of the Fair will share her experiences on what the completion of her reign means to her. Steffani Koch, the 2012 Dodge County Fairest of the Fair and 2013 State Fairest of the Fairs, will speak to the audience about her tour of the state and what being the state Fairest means.
Cecelia Heberling
Heberling, 19, is participating in the fair for the 10th year. She has shown quilting, photography, beef cattle and horses as well as volunteered in the 4-H kitchen. She has met some of her best friends through the fair and has learned the value of hard work and determination. She currently attends St. Norbert College where she is studying history and classical studies. She also has the honor to cheer at Packers games as a St. Norbert's cheerleader. She plans to study abroad in Rome and continue studying anthropology/archeology of other cultures.
Lynn Bartholomew
Bartholomew, 20, began showing at the Fair in the Little Britches show at age 5 with her calf, Clover. Since then she has shown pigs and dairy cattle, winning numerous awards with them. She has also shown projects like stenciling, cake decorating and woodworking in the 4-H Forum. She helps the Swine Barn Superintendents, Little Britches Show, Sheep Rodeo and setup/teardown of the Annual Livestock Auction. Although she is no longer in 4-H, she still volunteers for the fair in any way that she can. She is currently attending University of Wisconsin-River Falls pursuing a marketing communications degree. She is interning this year with the East Central/Select Sires and coordinates many tasks at the local county fairs. She plans to attend grad school to get a master's in marketing and then work in the agricultural industry.
Hayley Lynn Parsons
Parsons, 19, has been showing at the Waukesha County Fair since 2000. Her family started attending the fair in 1996, when they moved to Waukesha County. She has shown vegetables, photography, her dog and her horse. She volunteers every year in the 4-H activity area and has worked the horse shows, the hipology testing and post-fair cleanup of the 4-H kitchen. She is attending UW-Madison and pursuing a degree in zoology. She then plans to attend graduate school to pursue a degree in marine biology or wildlife ecology.
Megan Leanna
Horses, dogs, sewing, quilting, woodworking, foods and nutrition, vet science, scrapbooking, and photography categories fill Leanna's portfolio of projects shown over the last nine years at the fair. She has also held many roles including president of her 4-H club. She has volunteered in the foods judging booth in assisting the superintendent and organizing the projects. Leanna, 18, plans to attend UW-Oshkosh this fall to major in education and wants to teach business education at the high school level.