Ava Immel Named PA State Fair Queen
Senior Ava Immel is the 2025 PA State Fair Queen! Congratulations!
Note: This story is pulled directly from the PA Fair Queen Program Facebook page. Photos are courtesy of Tim McGowan Studio.
West Lampeter Community Fair Queen Ava Immel of Lancaster County was crowned the 2025 Pennsylvania Fair Queen on Saturday, January 25, at the 112th annual convention of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs and Pennsylvania State Showmen’s Association.
Immel was one of 61 contestants who were evaluated by a panel of three judges on their written and speaking skills, knowledge of the fair and agricultural industries, and their poise and personal presentation in business attire.
Ava is the daughter of Douglas and Angela Immel. She has been attending her community fair ever since she was a little girl, and it sparked the beginning of her agriculture journey. She is currently a senior in high school and, following graduation, plans to pursue a degree in Animal Science. Ava is a member of the STEM club, High School Heroes, cross country, indoor and outdoor track, and is also the Vice President of the local FFA chapter.
Lebanon Area Fair Queen Brooke Beamesderfer, of Lebanon County was selected as 2025 Alternate. The daughter of Justin and Eve Beamesderfer, Brooke grew up on her family’s farm. This fostered her love for agriculture, which led her to pursue an interdisciplinary degree in Agricultural Business at the University of Alabama. Brooke has participated in FFA, National Honor Society, volunteer club, entrepreneurship club, and varsity soccer and softball.
The other top five finalists were Clearfield County Fair Queen Krya D. Henry; Elizabethtown Fair Queen Alexandria Neff; and Shippensburg Community Fair Queen Abby Bucher.
Cadence Brown, from Cumberland County and representing the Cumberland Ag Expo, was chosen as Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants.
“This program is not about a 'title',” said PA Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding. “It's a powerful platform for young women. The PA Fair Queen is an ambassador, spokesperson, somebody who is always willing to tell the story of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania agriculture. This program offers our young women leaders a stage to build the skills, the knowledge and the confidence to lead. They are the power of the future.”
Each of the 61 contestants prepared a brief speech highlighting why people should come to her county or community fair and wrote an essay about the fair’s significance in her local community. They were each interviewed by the panel of three judges and gave a stage introduction during the PA Fairs’ annual banquet. The top five finalists were chosen and gave impromptu answers on how they would communicate the economic impact of their fair to the community. Immel answered that she would tell how her small community is the actual backbone of the fair. “Our fair is small, and the community really knows who we are,” said Immel. “For the economic impact, we know that what we bring in is what comes out of us. The community really sees the impact it has. Every handshake, smile and shared laugh truly makes a difference.”
Ava and Brooke will now travel across the Commonwealth to advocate for fairs and to share the story of the impact fairs have on Pennsylvania. Ava will also serve as a member of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Junior Committee during her time as the 2025 PA Fair Queen and will be a contributor to the Friends of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Foundation's and the PA State Association of County Fair's newsletters.
Both Ava and Brooke will receive scholarships from the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs at the end of their reigns in January 2026. They were crowned by outgoing Alternate Elise Honeycutt from the Albion Area Fair and the 2024 PA Fair Queen Erica Teagarden from the Washington County Agricultural Fair.