SMETHPORT — The new McKean County Fair queen was chosen Friday night at the fairgrounds. She is Mara Ours, who hails from Smethport and is the daughter of Marty and Laura Ours.

She participates in many activities, including DECA, mock trial, National Honor Society, Envirothon and show choir. She is the current student council co-president and a member of the basketball, track and field, and cross-country teams at Smethport High School. In addition, Ours has been a member of the McKean County 4-H program for nine years and currently serves as president of the McKean County 4-H Teen Council.

Ours enjoys volunteering at fair events, public speaking and attending statewide and national leadership camps. She also enjoys raising and showing her market lambs at the fair. During the last eight years, her lambs have won three Grand Champion titles.

She feels strongly about advocating for events and programs that encourage youth involvement in agriculture and support for small community farms.

“I am the sixth generation on our small family farm so these issues hit close to home,” Ours said. “We need to support small farms because they are the backbone of our community.”

She hopes to use her platform to highlight the need for agriculture as part of the curriculum in local schools.

“If we don’t cultivate the youth, all of this will be gone in a few generations,” said Ours. “A great way to do that is to get them interested early by offering 4-H and FFA programs in our schools.”

Ours is excited to step into a role that celebrates local agriculture, community pride and 119 years of tradition. But the honor also comes with some very big shoes to fill.

The outgoing queen, Mallory Craig of Bradford, has made her mark both locally and on the state stage this year, joining Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Erica Teagarden, alternate Elise Honeycutt and 25 other queens from across the state for the first Fair Queen Advocacy Day at the state Capitol in Harrisburg.

The queens had one-on-one meetings with district representatives and senators, attended the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting, and heard from Lily Guthrie, executive director of the Senate Agriculture Committee. The queens got to watch the Senate in session and shared a lunch together.

“It was such an honor to be a part of history,” said Craig. “There were queens from all across the state and I felt like our presence really made a difference.”

It was the first time Pennsylvania fair queens had come together to advocate directly for the state’s fairs and agricultural programs.