The Brown County Fair Association proudly announces the candidates who will compete for the Fairest of the Fair title; Olivia Kamps of De Pere, Calli Van De Hei of West De Pere, and Rachel Van Deurzen of De Pere. One of these women will be selected as 2019 Brown County Fairest of the Fair at the annual gala and competition event on Sunday, April 28th. As Fairest, she will have several media opportunities and community appearances leading up to the Fair in August; serving as the official hostess of the Brown County Fair. The winner also receives a $1,000 scholarship at the completion of her term.
Candidate Olivia Kamps, is the daughter of Anne & Don. She graduated from De Pere High School and is currently attending UW-Milwaukee. Kamps plans to graduate with a Communication Sciences degree and become a Speech Language Pathologist. She works as a Barista preparing a variety of beverages with the best possible customer service. She has been an exhibitor of poultry, rabbits, cultural arts, sewing and photography over the years, winning I Dare You, merit and state fair awards. The highlights for her in 4-H are best awards at State Fair Fashion review & dressing up as Chris Clover for community events. Kamps wants to as Fairest “focus on engage members within the community to make them aware of all the activities and experience available during the fair.”
Candidate Calli Van De Hei is the daughter of Jen and Pat. She graduated from West De Pere High School and is attending UW-Green Bay as an English major. Van De Hei is employed in customer service for Walgreens, dog care at WI Weimaraner Association and office assistant duties for OneSource Technologies. She has been a fair exhibitor of dairy, market lamb and dairy goats as well as photography, foods and shooting sports. She has served in 4-H club officer roles and earned the 4-H Key & I Dare You Awards. As Fairest of the Fair, Van De Hei says “I could think of no better way to spend my summer than promoting all that the fair has to offer. I love sharing my Fair experiences with others and the Fairest position would give me an opportunity to do this on a larger scale.”
Candidate Rachel Van Deurzen, is the daughter of Mike & Julie. She is a graduate of De Pere High School and attending Fox Valley Technical College in the Agribusiness Science Technology program. Van Deurzen is employed by Edinger Farms to milk cows and feed calves, as well as skills to monitor herd health.
Her fair involvement through 4-H and FFA was earning grand champion dairy steer, showing pigs and volunteering in the food stand or AGventure tent. Van Deurzen has had officer roles and received awards through 4-H and FFA (Greenhand, Chapter, outstanding member). She believes being Fairest “is the opportunity to be a role model giving back to the community and programs that are the building blocks of who she is today.”
The Fairest of the Fair program is focused on providing growth opportunities for male or female candidates dedicated to the legacy of the Brown County Fair. “Our community is fortunate to have these individuals with fair experience and passionate stories applying for this role. We are honored to work with these talented women towards their professional goals! They are each creative and enthusiastic about promoting our fair.” says Nicole Nohl, Brown County Fairest Program Coordinator.
Meghan Buechel, 2018 Brown County Fairest & 2019 Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs, has treasured a variety of experiences during her service as Fairest including tv and radio interviews, community parades/events, speaking with vast audiences, attending the State Fair, competing at the Wisconsin Association of Fairs convention, and of course hosting the Brown County Fair. Buechel will assist in the professional development workshops for the 2019 Fairest of the Fair candidates.
The public is invited to attend the selection gala on Sunday, April 28th. Admission is FREE and doors open at 3:00 p.m. to meet the candidates, see baked good auction items, enjoy bucket raffles and witness the crowning at the Neville Public Museum, 210 Museum Place, Green Bay, WI.
For more information about the Brown County Fair-Fairest of the Fair program, visit www.BrownCountyFair.com or contact Fairest@BrownCountyFair.com.
