The Great Geauga County Fair Junior Fair King & Queen Candidates 2022

Geauga Junior Fair King & Queen Coronation is Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the Jr. Fair Pavilion

Erin Keener

Erin Keener is the 16-year-old daughter of Doug and Kim Keener and is a junior at Madison High School. She values her academics and has held a 4.0 GPA or higher throughout high school. She stays active in her school participating in concert, marching and pep band as a squad and section Leader. She also takes part on the school's varsity tennis team and is a member of National Honors Society.  Erin is a 5-year member of Buckeye Bunnies and has taken on the responsibility as Historian, Vice President and most recently Secretary.  She won 3 Best of Shows in last year's Open and Junior fair and is also a member of the Junior Fair Board.  Outside of the fair she enjoys attending rabbit shows to better her herd.  Erin has been a Girl Scout since Kindergarten and has since achieved her Silver Award and is finishing her Gold Award. She is a hard worker at Ferrante Winery as a hostess. While she isn’t busy with school, work and extracurriculars she enjoys playing guitar, painting, thrifting, and walking her dog.  She plans to continue her education in Business Administration and minor in either Equestrian Studies or a Foreign Language in Spanish. 

Rachel O'Reilly

Rachel is the daughter of Kevin and Amy O’Reilly of Parkman. She is 18 and a graduate of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School, where she participated in several activities, including Student Activities Board, Mu Alpha Theta Math Club, where she was awarded the competitions highest points, NASPA Certified Peer Educator, Cornhole Club, and Outdoor Track and Field.  She volunteers in Parkman for the Chamber of Commerce Pancake Breakfast and the Congregational Church Dinners.  She belongs to the Ohio Cattleman’s Association BEST Show Circuit where she is the junior representative on the OCA BEST Show planning committee and an OCA Stockmanship Top 5 finalist.  Rachel is active in her church, belonging to the St. Helen’s Life Teen Youth Group, a volunteer at the Cleveland Osman Center for the Poor and Homeless, and a Lifeteen Harvest worker, participating in a week-long community service activity.  Rachel has been a member of Flockmasters 4-H Club since 2009, where she has served as president, vice president, secretary and historian.  She is also a member of Breeders & Feeders 4-H Club and Junior Leaders where she is currently serving as president in both.  She has participated on the Portage County Livestock Judging Team and participated in The Ohio State Livestock Judging contest.  She is a 4-H camp counselor and a family member of Farm Bureau.  Rachel has been awarded the Gold Medal for Beef and been named Outstanding 4-H Member.  Her family hosted a 4-H LABO exchange student from Japan for 4 weeks. Rachel is also a Junior Fair Board member and current president and has participated at Fair with clothing projects, market beef, lambs, chickens, and fancy chickens.  She has been awarded at the state level for her sewing project and has participated there with market lambs and poultry.

Teddy Welsh

Teddy is the 16-year-old son of Ed and Sara Welsh of Gates Mills and attends University School, where he is a junior.  He is a 1-year member of Geauga Livestock 4-H club, where he shows market lambs and a 7-year member of Buckeye Bunnies, where he has held the offices of president, vice president, and recreation officer.  During his time in 4-H, he has been awarded the Outstanding 4-H Member award in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.  Teddy is active in several rabbit associations, including the American Rabbit Breeders Association, the Ohio State Rabbit Breeders Association, and the American Netherland Dwarf Rabbit Club where he is a nationally ranked herdsmen, breeder, and exhibitor.  Teddy is an accomplished horsemen and is a junior member of Eglinton and Caledon Hounds, where he has qualified to represent Canada in the Junior North American Field Hunter Championships.  He also is a junior handler with the Masters of Foxhounds Association and has placed high at some of the most prestigious hound shows in the country.

Jacob Grinstead

Jacob is the son of Dave and Amy Grinstead.  He is 18 years old and a 2022 graduate of West Geauga High School, where he participated in the Marching Band and Soccer.  He was a squad leader for 3 years and a member of the Band Council.  He was a team captain of his soccer team for two years and this year he was awarded the Scholar Athlete Award and the Phi Beta Kappa Award.  He was the chairman of the blood drive at school, and he was a member of Student Council and Interact.  Jacob has been awarded the William F. Allen Award and The West Geauga Band Director’s Award for his band participation and The Harvard Book Award for his academics.  He was also a member of the National Honor Society.  Jacob has been a member of Breeders-n-Feeders 4-H Club for 13 years and has held the office of treasurer.  He has also been awarded the 4-H Gold Medal for Rabbits.  He shows rabbits and swine at fair and he has won Grand Champion Rabbit Meat Pen three times and Reserve Champion Meat Pen once.  He is also a member of Junior Fair Board and is a 4-H camp counselor.  Through his participation in the Rabbit Department, he was the recipient of the Pitorak Family Memorial Outstanding Member award.  Jacob will be attending Slippery Rock University, where he was accepted into the honors college.  He will be majoring in Exercise Science and will be pursuing a career in Physical Therapy.  He is also a member of the Slippery Rock Marching Band.  In Jacob’s spare time, he works at CVS.​

Samantha Bergansky

Samantha is the 17-year old daughter of Dennis and Kathleen Bergansky of Auburn Township. Samantha is a senior at Kenston High School and an active sports enthusiast, entering her 4th-year as a member of the Varsity Golf Team, the Varsity Basketball Team, and the Varsity Lacrosse Team, and has been awarded the Scholar Athlete Award in each of her varsity seasons.  When she isn’t playing sports, she is coaching youth basketball, working youth sports camps, and refereeing youth soccer, softball and basketball.  For the past six years, Samantha has volunteered as an instructor for the 2 week Auburn/Bainbridge Safety Town program. She is also a five-year camp counselor for the Heiman Girls Basketball Camp.  Samantha is a Lead Crew Member of the Kenston Bomber Bash Program. Bomber Bash is a leadership program at Kenston that organizes, fundraises and executes the community and school events that support the NE Ohio Chapter of A-Kid-Again. This charity provides enriching adventures for medically fragile children and their families in the local communities. Samantha was one of the Lead Crew Members selected to represent Kenston High School and Bomber Bash as they received the Medical Mutual Pillar Award for outstanding community service. She is also a member of the Geauga County Hunger Task Force, helping raise food donations and money for local Geauga County food banks.  Samantha keeps incredibly busy, but let’s not forget her love of 4-H. She thrives in Greener Fields 4-H Club where she started as a Cloverbud and is now serving her second term as Club President.  She has also served as the club’s Treasurer. Samantha is a member of Junior Leaders, a three-year member of Junior Fair Board, and her family and herself are Farm Bureau members. She has participated in The Great Geauga County Fair’s Junior Livestock Auction for eight years, raising and showing poultry, hogs and market goats. In her quest to raise the best possible 4-H project animals, she has been honored to have raised the Grand and Reserve Champion Turkey, Grand Champion Hen Turkey, Reserve Champion Chicken Pen and Grand Champion Market Goat. She has been awarded the Outstanding 4-H Member Award and loves to help and teach the younger children as they participate in 4-H. Other hobbies include fishing, kayaking, hunting, recently shooting clays and just being a teenager. She plans to attend college next year in pursuit of a career in Physical Therapy.

Jessica Lesner

Jessica Lesner is the 17-year-old daughter of Thomas and Lisa Lesner of Auburn Township.  She is a senior at Kenston High School where she has participated in the Envirothon, Russian, and Spanish clubs. She is currently a full-time Kent State Geauga student, earning both dual credits of college and high school classes. Outside of school, Jessica participates in many extracurriculars, such as helping to organize the Kenston Bomber Bash; this charity works with the Northern Ohio Chapter of a Kid Again to give children with life-threatening illnesses and their families a time out from illness and enjoying that time at many different fun events!  Along with being a member of the Kenston girls’ soccer team for three years where she has coached with various youth camps in the summer, Jessica volunteers’ regularly with the Valley Art Center for Art by the Falls. She participates outside of the community as a three-year camp counselor for 4-H Camp Whitewood, in which during her time as a camper, she has received the Geauga County Camp Hands Award. Jessica is a former Girl Scout of 5 years, earning the bronze award during that time. Jessica has participated in competitive cheerleading on a national level for 8 years, where she has traveled across the east coast and Midwest competing against teams and meeting new people. Jessica has also worked at the Chagrin Valley Roller Rink for four years, where she also spends her time teaching roller skating lessons to children. Within 4-H, Jessica is an eight-year member of the Pygmy Connection, and her family are Farm Bureau members.  Jessica has held positions of Recreation Officer, Birthday officer, and is currently the Photography and Social Media officer. During this time, she has shown Pygmy Goats, Swine, Market Turkey, and Market Chicken.  In 2016 she received the Junior Gold Award for Swine and was the 2019 Pygmy Princess.

Mack Douglas

Mack is the 16-year-old son of Mike and Molly Douglass and a senior at Chardon High School.  He is attending Auburn Career Center for Allied Health Tech and is certified in first aid and CPR.  He plays baseball for Chardon Rec and CYO basketball.  Mack is a 6-year member of Granny’s Kids 4-H Club where he has held the office of Secretary.  He shows turkeys, chickens and goats.  He was the Maple Festival Prince in 2013.  Mack works for Push and Pull Contracting.