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Pair of former 4-H royals share fond memories

Cheryl Jarrett was crowned Huntington County 4-H Royalty Queen in 1978, an experience she fondly remembers. This year is the 50th anniversary of the pageant.
Cheryl Jarrett was crowned Huntington County 4-H Royalty Queen in 1978, an experience she fondly remembers. This year is the 50th anniversary of the pageant. Photo by Andre B. Laird.

When Abby Blocker and Cordell Lewis were recently named 2013 4-H Royalty Queen and King respectively, it brought back fond memories for at least two former queens still in the area.

Cheryl (Davenriner) Jarrett, winner in 1978 and Laura (Ernst) Smart, 1986 queen, both had fun competing.

"I had always wanted to enter the royalty pageant," states Jarrett. "I had seen other girls compete every year and thought it would be a fun thing to do."

It was so much fun that Jarrett competed twice, she says.
"In 1977, I won first runner-up," she notes. "I decided to give it another try and won the following year."

Diane (Grossman) Haines was crowned queen in 1977.

Smart says she entered because of the challenge and it was something new.

"I had pretty much attempted everything else in 4-H," she states. "So I thought it might be fun to enter the pageant."

Smart adds that although she was not the "pageant-type," she was encouraged to enter by her mother.

"She was a driving force behind me entering the pageant," says Smart.

Both women have stayed close to the pageant since they won and say not much has changed.

"They still have the speech and interview portion as well as taking into consideration 4-H points," says Jarrett. "However, they used to have a swimsuit portion of the show. That has been changed to business wear."
Smart says this change, in her opinion, has opened the door to more contestants.

"I know that was one part of the pageant that the girls dreaded," she states. "There are more girls who would enter now, who would previously be self-conscious if they had to wear swimwear."

The experiences gained have helped each woman in their post-pageant lives.

"As a queen, I got to go to the state fair and meet other queens," states Jarrett. "It was interesting to learn about other county fair programs. That was a neat experience."

She adds that as part of the experience, she participated in a "Chicken Fly," held at TV-33 for all queens.

"We had to climb a ladder with our chicken and place it in a mailbox at the top of the ladder," Jarrett says.
"We then used a plunger to push the chicken out the other end to see whose chicken would fly the farthest.
All the queens in northeast Indiana participated."

Jarrett now works with the Huntington County Soil and Water Conservation District.

"We try to help the 4-Hers if they have any questions with the projects," she states. "We also give out information if they need it."

Smart says her experiences have helped to make her who she is today.

"I gained self-confidence and self-esteem," she states. "It made me not afraid to try new things, which is good."
Smart is also an eight-year 4-H leader with the Waggin' Tails 4-H Club.

"I also do some judging at 4-H fairs in other counties," she adds. "I judge child development, dog and reading."

This year marks the 50th year of Huntington County 4-H Royalty program.