A22-Lweu*ter Farming, Saturday, January 31, 1998’
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Amanda DeSio Is State Fair Queen , Bev Gruber Named Fair Person
HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.) •
Amanda DeSio, McKean County
Fair Queen, was crowned the 1998
Pennsylvania Fair Queen at the
12th state coronation last week in
conjunction with the Pennsylvania
Stale Association of County Fain
annual meeting in the Convention
Center. Amanda is the seventeen
year-old daughter of Gerald and
Kathy DeSio of Kane.
Forty-three contestants who had
been first place winner* at their
local fairs competed for the honor.
The contestants, ranging in age
from 16 to 21, were judged on an
essay, a five- minute speech on
“Why You Should Come to My
Fair,” a personal interview, and
evening gown competition.
Named runner-up was Jessica
Watson, Lebanon Area Fair
Queen. Her parents are Jeff and
Laura-Jean Watson,
Kleinfeltersville.
The queen is currently a senior
at Kane Area High School and
plans to begin college next year to
major in psychology and sociolo
gy. Some of Amanda’s school
activities include National Honor
Society, student council, chora
liers, orchestra, jazz band, march
ing band, and majorettes. She is the
SADD president, Spanish club
secretary, opinions editor erf the
school newspaper, and this year
founded the high school’s first
literary magazine. She has twice
won the title of Intermediate Unit 9
experienced debate champion and
was chosen for an honorable dele
gate award at the 1997 Penn State
Model United Nations. Outside
school, she takes dance classes and
assists in teaching dance lessons.
She is a radio announcer at WLMI
FM in Kane and is working with
the local family center on a new
youth center. Some of the charities
she has volunteered for are the
Crop Walk and American Heart
Association. She enjoys playing
violin and piano and writing
poetry.
Amanda received $1,500 in
scholarships and was also named
Miss Congeniality by her peers.
Jessica answered the impromptu
question ’How would you convin
ce a business person of the impor
tance of sponsoring an event or
exhibit at your fair?” by saying that
youth are very important “Youth
arc our future, and what better
thing than to invest something in
our youth. I would just encourage
them to help in that way, to be able
to help in a young person’s life.
Jessica is home
schooled and takes
courses at Lancaster
Bible College and
F&M. Her awards
include Bronze PA Dis
cover Card Tribute,
1995 Myers town Voice
of Democracy, 1996
Lebanon County
American Legion Essay
Contest WCTU Dia
mond Speech Medal,
semi-finalist 1995 Miss
PA Teen USA, listed in
Who’s Who American
High School Students
for three years, and 4th
runner-up Miss PA
Teen Sunburst At the
National 4-H Congress,
she was on the leader
ship team and a soloist
She sang in sign lan
guage for the National
Association of County
Ag Agents.
At the 1995 & ’96
PCC/PSU Summer Institutes, she
won awards for talent, speech, and
quizzing, and was selected to
attend NICE where she served as
vice-president and sales manager
of the co-op. Her activities include
co-directing “Joyful Noise,” lead
ing music at Youth for Christ, act
ing in “Martyred, the Chet Bittter
man Story," a TV role on “Pete’s
Place,” teaching dance, directing
musicals, and singing.
The other finalists were Tiffany
STahl, Greencastle. Franklin
County Fair Queen; Cassie Cron
er, Berlin, Somerset County Fair
Queen, and Carolyn Davis, Lititz,
Elizabethtown Fair Queen.
Another highlight of the annual
convention is the naming of the
1998 Fair Person of the Year.
Well-known for her community
efforts this year’s winner is Bever
ly Gruber, New Tripoli.
Gruber is owner/manager of
SCS Management, a multi
association firm that has clients
such as the Pennsylvania Lives
tock Association and the Pennsyl
vania Campbrounds Owners Asso
ciation. She is also the public rela
tions director of several county
fairs.
But maybe her best known work
has been promoting the state fair
association. In the early ’Bo’s Bev
worked as project coordinator for
Venango County Small Business
Information Project in Oil City.
She is a former home economist in
the Venango County Agriculture
Extension and a home economics
teacher in the Allegheny-Clarion
Valley High School.
Beverly has been involved in the
Grange and the Farm Bureau. Of
special interest is her work with the
Allentown Fair, the Schenecksvil
1c Community Fair, the PA Fair in
Philadelphia County Park, and the
Venango County Fair.
For more than 30 years she has
been involved in the Pennsylvania
Farm Show and the Keystone
International Livestock Exposi
tion. To her credit, she has visited
106 of the 113 fairs in Pennsylva
nia plus 25 fairs in other states,
including California, Alaska, and
Florida.
In accepting the award Beverly
said,“lt is always gratifying to be
recognized by your peers. This is
especially true in an industry you
have enjoyed and worked in for a
lifetime. I can only thank those
people who have worked with me
in our efforts.
In other awards the following
winners were named: Premium
Beverly Gruber, left, was named the 1998 Fair Person of the Year by the Pennsylva
nia Association of State Fairs at the annual meeting last week. Fay Fulmer made the
presentation. Bev's sons Clay and Brett Snyder and her husband Henry Join in pre
senting the honor.
Tabloid, first, Hookstown Fair;
second, Washingston County Fair,
third, Elizabethtown Fair. Also
winning were Premium Book,
first, a tie, Elizabethtown Fair and
Greene-Dreber-Sterling Fair, sec
ond, York Fair, third, Albion, Har
ford Fair and West End Fair.
Other winners were Video
(amateur), first, Hookstown Fair
and second, Fayette County Fair.
Scrapbook winners were first, Eli
zabethtown Fair, second, Warren
County Fair and third, Spartans
bug Fair. Promotional Materials
winners were first, York Fair, sec
ond, Greene-Dreher-Sterling Fair
and third, Hookstown Fair.
Fair Display winners were first,
Denver Fair, second, Kimberton
Fair and third. Centre County Fair.
Best Overall was Elizabethtown
Fair.
Judges for the queen pageant
included Betty Dale, Bellwood;
Mary Ann Keith, Huntingdon, and
Edward Buss. Fbgelsvillc. Atten
dance at the Fireman's Banquet
Friday evening was 1020. At the
coronation luncheon attendance
was 6SO.
Amanda will represent the 112
fairs across Pennsylvania for
the next year.
Amanda DeSio was crowned Pennsylvania Fair Queen
for 1998.
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