Meet your 2021 Jasper County Fair Queen

Kelcie Steenhoek has been crowned the 2021 Jasper County Fair Queen

Four candidates competed in the Jasper County Fair Queen Contest on Saturday at the Newton Community Theatre. Steenhoek competed alongside Dakota Bokhoven — who was also crowned the county fair princess — and Eleigh Davis and Ellie Dunsbergen.

Steenhoek told Newton News she is “super excited” about the upcoming fair.

“It’s going to be an awesome fair!” Steenhoek said. “There’s going to be so much to do and I’m really excited to be a leader to all these younger kids. Excited to see everybody at the fair this year, especially with COVID last year. I’m so excited to get back and have things a little more normal than they were.”

Steenhoek confesses she is a “die-hard” Oreo Stacking Contest fan. To match this year’s county fair theme of “Christmas in July” Steenhoek proposed the contest also include Christmas cookies. She’s also excited to watch all the shows and see every 4H member back in the pavilion.

Remarking on her experience with the contest, Steenhoek said she met “some really awesome girls” and is really excited to have Bokhoven alongside her.

“And I’m just excited for the fair to kind of get back and be better than ever before,” she said.

MEET THE CANDIDATES

Kelcie Steenhoek is the daughter of Joe and Lisa Steenhoek. She attends Des Moines Area Community College and is an alumni of Colfax-Mingo. She was involved in FFA, dance team, football cheerleading, wrestling cheerleading, student council, GeneratiOn, softball, National Honor Society and served as football manager. Currently, she is an agribusiness student at DMACC. A chance to be the county fair queen would be an amazing opportunity for her to grow as a person, she said. Steenhoek wants to lead others as well, and being Jasper County Fair Queen would give her the chance to uphold those leadership values. She is extremely grateful for this opportunity and would love to have this honor as fair queen.

Dakotah Bokhoven is the daughter of Cassie Bokhoven. She is 17 and a member of the Killduff Hotshots and Lynnville-Sully FFA. Bokhoven has been involved with 4H for eight years and currently a junior at Lynnville-Sully. I am in dance, golf, National Honor Society and works as the boys basketball manager. She shows a dog and exhibits in the youth building. Bokhoven would like to represent Jasper County Fair because she likes getting involved in the fair. It is fun to be around old friends and make new ones, she said. Bokhoven would like to get more of the younger generation involved. She also said the Jasper County Fair is important in our community because it helps teach us to be responsible people or ourselves and our community. Her future plan is to become a high school science teacher.

Ellie Dunsbergen is the daughter of Bruce and Lynn Dunsbergen of Sully. She is 18 years old and will be a senior at Lynnville-Sully High School this fall. In high school, she has been involved in the following activities: varsity football and wrestling cheer, band, Silver Cord and being on the A honor roll. She has also been involved with 4H since kindergarten, first as a Sprout and then being old enough to actually participate in showing. In her 4H club, she has been vice-president, and this past year was president. Dunsbergen would love to represent Jasper County as the fair queen because she has loved her years in 4H and would love to help pass down to younger members and help advocate that 4H helps build life skills that you will take with you forever.

Eleigh Davis is a member of the Jasper County Farmhands 4H club. She just completed her sophomore year at PCM High School. Eleigh keeps busy by being involved in band, choir, golf, basketball and theatre, as well as being a member at the Presbyterian Church in Monroe. Her parents are Tom and Janice Davis of Monroe, She would like to be the fair queen for many reasons. She feels that it would be a great opportunity to get to know the 4H community better and a better way to branch out and learn new things. She’s excited to compete for this opportunity.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com