Maria Bittner is closing out her 12 months as Fayette County Honest Queen with lifelong recollections, lasting friendships and fulfilled targets.
The 19-year-old Uniontown lady mentioned she was honored to have the ability to discuss with different ladies and encourage them to comply with in her footsteps, each with the truthful and with 4-H. She mentioned many youthful ladies requested her all year long about her success.
“I used to be in a position to push them and it was tremendous memorable,” she mentioned.
Bittner by no means confirmed livestock and didn’t develop up on a farm. As an alternative, she participated in 4-H with the horse membership, together with in barrel racing competitions. She mentioned she needed to showcase a number of the much less conventional elements of 4-H, and she or he thinks her reign as queen did simply that.
“It’s extremely uncommon that horse individuals run for queen, not to mention win,” she mentioned.
Bittner additionally mentioned she was stunned by the quantity of people that had been all for her background and her story.
“Somebody from the skin actually did discover their method in and was profitable in that,” she mentioned. “That was one thing I did not anticipate individuals to be all for, however they had been.”
She additionally famous that many individuals needed to know concerning the interior workings of the truthful, and her duties as Fayette County Honest Queen.
“Lots of people had been genuinely curious and ,” she mentioned. “I actually suppose that left a mark on numerous ladies who had been hesitant at first.”
She mentioned she spent the 12 months forming bonds with different queens at competitions, representing 4-H and constructing new connections throughout the neighborhood.
“I used to be actually stunned on the connections I’ve made with my neighborhood and with different queens,” she mentioned.
She mentioned she was instructed she would type a robust bond with different truthful queens all through the state, however she was stunned how true that was. Lots of them reside a number of hours away, so ending her reign means she is not going to see them as usually at competitions.
“It is a bittersweet second,” she mentioned.
Bittner mentioned it was a singular 12 months to be a good queen, following a 12 months of postponed public occasions and sustained financial struggles. The 2021 truthful additionally drew a record-breaking crowd, and she or he was happy to symbolize the truthful in a 12 months with widespread neighborhood involvement and help.
“It was positively record-breaking numbers, in order that was tremendous thrilling to see,” she mentioned.
She mentioned it was a motivating expertise to speak to locals about how they overcame hardships introduced on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To speak to individuals about how they overcame these forms of struggles, it was tremendous, tremendous motivating,” she mentioned.
Bittner is ending her remaining 12 months with 4-H and can start her sophomore 12 months at Seton Hill College, working towards a enterprise advertising and marketing diploma.
She mentioned a second that may keep in her reminiscence is carrying the flag to open for the rodeo.
“That was one thing that basically set it off for me. That is one thing that I all the time dreamed of,” she mentioned. “That is one thing that’s all the time going to stay with me.”