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Growing up, going to the Washington County Agricultural Fair was a summer tradition. It was something that was bittersweet – I always enjoyed going, but it also meant that summer was winding down.
I loved riding the rides, playing the games, watching the milk-chugging contest and just walking around, taking everything in – even the smells of the animals. In high school, my cheerleading squad took first place two years in a row at the fair’s cheerleading competition. I’m pretty sure that the blue ribbons are still hanging somewhere in my old bedroom at my parents’ house.
And as much as I look forward to the fair every year, there are folks who are simply ingrained in it. From horse-riding competitions to prize-winning pies, tractor pulls to the demolition derby, some of our friends and neighbors prepare almost year-round for the fair.
On page 14, you’ll get to know Ashlin Hawkinberry, the 2017 fair queen. She talked to writer Kristin Emery about what the fair means to her and looks back on nearly a year of being queen. She’s a bubbly teenager about to enter her senior year at Fort Cherry Junior Senior High School, and the fair is part of who she is. Queen contestants have to be between the ages of 16 and 20, and she almost didn’t enter last year because she was only 16 at the time, and thought she might be too young. But spend a little bit of time with her, and you will see that the judges couldn’t have picked a better ambassador for the Washington County Agricultural Fair.
When we were planning the cover shoot for this issue, I pictured photographing Hawkinberry on the hill that’s on the first right when you walk in, just past the fair office. As a kid (and even though I’ve been there in recent years!), I remembered it being a steep, long hill that I loathed trekking up. Well, once we arrived, I turned and looked at photographer Mark Marietta and said with some chagrin, “That was a lot bigger and steeper in my memory.” We switched gears (and locations), and the results were breathtaking.
Another end-of-summer tradition in Washington County is the Dick’s Sporting Goods PONY League World Series. On page 10, staff writer Rick Shrum interviews Bob Gregg, chairman of the tournament and WJPA sportscaster. Gregg has been at the helm of the PONY League World Series since 1984, and talks about what the tournament means to Washington County and what changes might be taking place in the years to come.
Bicyclers will want to turn to page 18 for Jill Thurston’s Beyond the Border piece on Meyersdale, Pa. The quaint Laurel Highlands town sits on the Great Allegheny Passage trail, and boasts a historic bed and breakfast called Morguen Toole Company, in addition to being quite accessible to Mt. Davis, the highest point in Pennsylvania, and Ohiopyle, by way of the bike trail. Of course, you won’t want to delay plans to head out there, unless you would rather take in the spectacular fall foliage that the area is gifted with each year.
Speaking of fall, we’re already brainstorming ideas for our October/November issue!
See you then,