State fair queen crowned
WEST SUNBURY — Butler County 4-H member Madeline McEachin of West Sunbury was named the 2017 Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Saturday at the Pa. State Association of County Fairs Convention in Hershey.
She was chosen from among 60 contestants across the state.
“It's an honor to be given a year to represent Pennsylvania's fairs and the entire agriculture industry,” said McEachin.
Madeline, 18, is the daughter of Paul and Karla McEachin.
She will receive a $2,500 scholarship from the association at the conclusion of her reign in January 2018.
A freshman at Penn State University, she was crowned the Big Butler Fair Queen last summer.
“She graduated from Butler High School last year and is an accounting major at Penn State,” said Jean Kummer, Extension educator with the Butler County Penn State Extension.
“She was a member of the West Sunbury Wranglers and the Caprine Connection, which is the goat club, and she was president of the Butler County Youth Council for two years and is currently president of the Pennsylvania State 4-H Council,” Kummer said.
“State fair queen contestants had to complete a written essay, do a speech and interview with the judges,” who were out-of-state residents affiliated with agriculture, Kummer said.
As part of her duties as State Fair Queen, Madeline will attend county fairs across the state this summer.
Kummer said last year's queen traveled 7,000 miles and attended 30 different fairs.
The Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs is a voluntary nonprofit organization that has been in existence since 1912.
The group has steadily grown to current membership of 109 fairs.
More than 5.5 million fairgoers attended fairs in the state in 2016.
“We are very proud of Madeline. We couldn't be more proud of the representative of Butler County,” Kummer said.
