2023 PA State Fair Queen, Chloe Bomgardner, Our Northern Lebanon Royalty
Northern Lebanon Bulletin’s Sarah Hoover sat down with state fair queen, Chloe Bomgardner, to discuss her new royalty status and her history with our own Northern Lebanon community
On July 23, 2022, Our very own local resident, Miss Chloe Bomgardner from Jonestown Pennsylvania, competed to become Lebanon County’s next reigning Fair Queen, and won!
However, this is just a small window of Bomgardners overall achievements. Let me tell you a little more of her background, prior achievements, and what she has accomplished more recently.
Bomgardner is currently a senior in high school. She is homeschooled, completing most of her classes online. In addition to her online studies, she also takes agricultural classes at the Northern Lebanon High School. Her plans are to attend college to major in Large Animal Science.
She has been heavily involved in Our community. Since she was 8 years old, Chloe has been a member of the Northern Lebanon Countys 4-H Dairy club. Here she has held many offices including, Reporter, Vice President, and currently President of the club. Growing up she was also involved in the Lebanon county 4-H Friends Club for a few years, where she learned to sew, and had the opportunity to exhibit her projects at the Lebanon Area Fair.
She states that her involvement in the Northern Lebanon FFA has also tremendously impacted her life. She joined her freshman year in high school. Over the years she has held the position on the office team as treasurer, before her current position as Vice President. The FFA has given her many opportunities to help within the agricultural community by volunteering on farms and attending conferences, among other things. It has also given her the opportunity to be involved in our local community. Just a few examples for instants, reading for AG literacy in our elementary schools, taking animals to local community events, and volunteering in countless food stands. she has also enjoyed competing in the countless competitions within the community. Her favorites being, Parliamentary Procedure, Prepared Public Speaking, and Milk Quality and Products. Through the FFA she has also had the opportunity to start a market hog project, and showcased her Hog at the Lebanon Area Fair last year.
Bomgardner resides with her parents and siblings, on their small family farm of 16 acres. She is the daughter of Corwin and Tara Bomgardner here in East Hanover township in Jonestown. When she was younger, she states that she wasn’t raising any animals at home except for her chickens. Her show calves she kept at her grandparents farm right down the road from where she is. It wasn’t until January of 2021, when she purchased her first angus cross calf to raise at home. When her family decided to build a small barn to house a small Holstein heifer herd, beef herd, chickens, and market hogs. She helps her family plant and harvest 16 acres of small crops, with an additional 80 acres of land that they rent to harvest hay every summer. She mentions that growing up on a smaller farm has taught her more about hard-work, and perseverance as she works to achieve her dreams. Her dreams are to own a much larger farm, with a bigger herd of cows, and more land to cultivate.
Bomgardner has been attending the Lebanon Area Fair longer then she can remember. Her first memories she recalls, was entering exhibits in the coloring contest, then she’d proceed to watch her older siblings show their cows. When she became a little older she started to exhibit indoors with her cakes, eggs, and veggie baskets. It wasn’t long however, before she was in that show ring with her own holstein calf. She states while getting to watch the Fair Queen with the other crowned Royalty’s, it gave her inspiration to join the Lebanon County’s Dairy Promotion Court. This ultimately led to her crowning achievement, as she ran for this years Lebanon County Fair Queen.
“The Lebanon Area Fair has impacted me tremendously over the years and holds a special place in my heart”
-Chloe Bomgardner
More recently on January 21st of 2023, Miss Bomgardner attended in Hershey, The Pennsylvania State Showman’s Association, and the 110th Annual Convention of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs. She was representing Lebanon County as our Fair Queen among 58 other County’s from all across our state. During this three day event, the County Queens were all tested in various attributes. There was many positions, sashes and crowns handed out during the final ceremony. The Crowning of the State Fair Queen being the highest achievement of the evening. In conclusion, among 59 contestants, your 2023 State Fair Queen has been crowned by none other then our very own Jonestown resident, and agricultural activist, Miss Chloe Bomgardner! As the crown was placed on her head, Chloe was asked how she felt in that moment, her reply;
“ I came into this as all of us, all 59 contestants, really hoping to come home with a crown, but at the end of the day, it’s not because of the crown, it’s because of the passion for agricultural industry that each and every one of us has, and to be able to promote our County Fair, which has a special place in each and every one of our hearts, and that’s ultimately what my main goal was – to share my passion and love for the agricultural industry and be able to promote it to the future generations.” – Chloe Bomgardner
Bomgardner is the 37th state Queen. During her year of reign she looks forward to attending other County Fairs within the state, not as an exhibitor with her animals, but rather as our state Fair Queen representing the states rich agricultural heritage and serving as an ambassador for the State Association of County Fairs. Upon her completion of reign as Queen in January 2024, the Fair Association will award Bomgardner a scholarship.
I believe I can speak on behalf of Northern Lebanon in Congratulating Miss Bomgardner on her achievements, we are so proud to have you as a member of our community. You have inspired us, we wish you all the best as our State Fair Queen and for all future endeavors. May your dreams come true.
