Twelve local youth have been named members of the 2024 Montgomery County Agricultural Fair’s Royal Court. They were selected based on; leadership, involvement in the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair (MCAF), 4-H and their communities and public speaking ability. The 2023 Fair King and Queen, continue their reign until this year’s Coronation on Sunday, August 11, 2024 at 6 p.m. Coronation follows the annual Fair parade which begins at 5 p.m. at the Fairgrounds.
Anvita Divvela is 16 years old and a rising junior at Damascus High School. She has been in 4-H for 10 years. This is her first year on the royal court. Anvita is the president of the Damascus Community 4-H Club, a member of Maryland’s 4-H State Council, and will be a camp leader at 4-H camp this summer. She was also part of the Maryland delegation for the National 4-H Conference in 2023 and served as Damascus Community Fair Queen last year. Anvita has been involved with the fair since she was a clover, exhibiting and volunteering. She has entered various projects including quilting, paintings, flowers, cooking, baking, and crocheting. Her main passion however is sewing, which she enters in every year. She participated in the fair’s “Project G Street” sewing competition this past year and was thrilled to win 2nd place. She also loves volunteering at the big cheese, info booth, and ice cream parlor! Outside of 4-H, Anvita participates in her school’s marching band, where she is a member color guard. She also participates in choir, theater, science olympiad, and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. Lastly, she is on a robotics team where she has been lucky to attend the FIRST World Championship for the last 2 years. She is very excited to be on the royal court and is looking forward to meeting many amazing people and inspiring others!
Jayson Lee is 16 years old and a rising Junior at Poolesville High School. This year is his second year on the fair royal court, and his 7th year in 4-H. Jayson is currently the Vice President of the Clarksburg Helping Hands Club and a member of Maryland’s 4-H State Council. He was also a Maryland delegate at 4-H’s National Conference and Congress in 2022. Outside of 4-H, Jayson enjoys volleyball, clarinet, and stem projects, as well as helping out the community through service. He has done over 1500 hours of service, and has recently completed his diamond clover 6 project to help out local hospitals. Jayson is very grateful for all of his experiences in 4-H and is looking forward to helping out as part of the fair royalty!
Lily Luther is 17 years old and a junior at Damascus High School. Lily has been involved in the fair since clovers and helped the family farm show livestock. This will be Lily’s third year in royalty and she is thrilled to advocate for Montgomery County agriculture at the fair! Lily is secretary of the Beef Club, president of the Damascus Livestock Youth Club, reporter for the Damascus FFA Chapter, and a member of the National Junior Angus Association. She is also a part of the Montgomery County Livestock Judging team where she competed with the Maryland team. Lily has entered baking projects in the fair and participated in the cake auction. In addition, she enjoys reading, running, and dancing on the Damascus Poms team.
Through her experience in 4-H and involvement in the fair, Lily has better equipped herself for the future by improving work ethic, learning communication skills, and gaining experience in the agricultural industry. She plans to pursue an education in molecular biology and study genetics in livestock. Thanks to the lifelong friendships, memories, and knowledge the fair has provided, Lily is thrilled to be a part of the fair as a royalty member for a third year!
Annabelle Miller is 18 years old and just completed her first year at Michigan Technological University. This is her first year on the fair court and she is honored to have this experience. Annabelle has been showing sheep for the past 14 years and in 4-H for the past 10 years. Additionally, she has shown market turkey and breeding chickens for the past 2 years. Over the years Annabelle has held many leadership titles with the Montgomery County 4-H Sheep and Swine Club and the 4-H Poultry Club. She has exhibited projects in livestock, baking, home decor, photography, and food preservation at the fair. In addition to her fair exhibits she regularly shows her sheep at other local, state, and national sheep shows. At Tech she is a paddler for MTU Concrete Canoe and is a member of the Michigan Tech Huskies Pep Band playing the sousaphone. She is looking forward to all the lessons she will learn by being on the court.
Logan Monarch is 16 years old, entering his Junior year at Damascus High School. He started showing Dairy Goats as a 4-H Clover when he was 6 years old. He has continued to participate in the 4-H Dairy Goat Club. He has held several leadership positions over the years and is currently the club president and the secretary of his school’s FFA. Logan is also actively involved with the Damascus Boy Scout Troop. He is working on moving up the ranks and is currently the troops assistant patrol leader.
This is Logan’s second year as a member of the Montgomery County Agricultural Royal Court. Logan is a fourth generation volunteer with the Agricultural Center and his goal as a member of the court is to encourage younger kids to get more involved in the fair to assure that the long standing traditions will be able to continue. After being on court he would like to be able to participate on the Jr. Board.
Putting in close to 500 hours volunteering on the grounds betweens fair hours and SSL, he enjoys helping in many different ways. Prior to the fair he has assisted in putting up signs and installing the fencing, as well as helping to build some of the great things you can see in KidZone. During the fair he enjoys showing his goats, helping in KidZone and reconnecting with his fair family. He hopes to be a successful member of the Royal Court for as long as he can.
The last few years have been wild for rising 11th grader Noah Morris. He serves on the State Extension Advisory Council (SEAC), Maryland Students Against Drugs (MSAD), and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS). Moreover, he has been a long-time member of 4-H ever since he was a Clover attending clubs from: Inventors to Lucky Clovers, and currently serving as the secretary for the 4-H State Council.
Overall, what matters most to Noah lies within the Montgomery County Fair. “As a volunteer for 11 years, the fair has been very formative for me as a homeschooler. It has given me the liberty to explore the world of Agriscience in a new and inventive way.” This can be felt in his many Fair entries from quick breads to ceramics. Noah can’t wait to represent the fair during its 75th anniversary!
Liam Reed is 18 years old and just graduated from Gonzaga High School this past spring. This is his 13th year in 4-H and third year on the Royal Court. He has been coming to the fair his entire life and first joined the 4-H Poultry Club as a clover when he was 5 years old. Liam then joined the Meat Goat Club when he was 9. He is currently the Vice-president of the Poultry Club and has shown Myotonic (Fainting) goats and market Boer goats, as well as an assortment of chickens, ducks, and turkeys. He has also exhibited cakes, photography, and vegetables in the 4-H building and antiques in the Old Timer’s building. During his time in high school, Liam participated in Theater and was a member of the Model UN club. He is planning on participating in similar activities when he goes off to college at Saint Louis University this fall. He is also a past member of the 4-H State Council and is going to be a counselor at the 4-H camp this summer in western Maryland. Liam lives on a small farm in North Potomac. He can’t wait for an amazing third and final year on the royal court and is excited to teach people all he’s learned about the fair and his animals. Happy 75th!
Hannah Williams is fourteen years old and a rising sophomore at Glenelg Country School. She has been in 4-H for five years and is Vice President of the Horse ‘N’ Around club. One of her favorite parts of the Fair is participating in the horse activities and submitting 4-H indoor entries, which have included baking, family life, photography, and a lot of arts and crafts. In addition, she is a delegate of the Maryland 4-H State Council, was on the State Champion Horse Bowl Team, and has participated in hippology, horse judging, and both the horse communications contest and the cluster communication contest.
Outside of 4-H, she is a member of her school’s drama, debate, and improv clubs, as well as the J.V. badminton team. She actively volunteers at Days End Farm Horse Rescue and 4-H camp, and was a 2024 recipient of the gold level President’s Volunteer Service Award. This is Hannah’s first year on the Royal Court and she is looking forward to exploring the Fair beyond the horse barn and sharing her love of 4-H with everyone she meets.
Hi, my name is Abby Worth. I’m 17 years old and homeschooled. I have been in 4-H for 12 years, and this is my second year on Royal Court. I have been a Fair-goer, volunteer, and exhibitor at the Fair since I could walk, and enjoy working at the 4-H building, the Big Cheese, and the Pre-Fair work days every year. I am currently the Vice-president of the Maryland 4-H State Council, a member of the Damascus Community 4-H Club, was previously Historian of the Flying Tigers Aerospace 4-H Club and a delegate to the 2022 National 4-H Congress. Outside of the fair and 4-H, I enjoy practicing and teaching Kendo as well as Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, teaching and playing the drums and ukulele, doing arts and crafts, and baking Gluten-free delights as well as cooking. 4-H has given me confidence, leadership experience, life-long friends and memories that I will pass down to the leaders of tomorrow as well as cherish for the rest of my life. I can’t wait to make new and amazing connections on the Royal Court and at the Fair this year!
Abby Zimmerman has been involved with the fair since Clovers and is thrilled to serve on the royal court for the second time this year! Abby is 16 years old and a rising Junior at Tuscarora High school. Abby has been a member of the 4-H Sheep and Swine Club for the past 8 years and is currently Vice President of Sheep. Since she joined the club Abby has raised market lambs to be shown and later sold at the annual 4-H Livestock Auction. After a few years of just raising market lambs Abby decided to try her hand at breeding wool sheep, which quickly turned into her owning a small flock of Bluefaced Leicester sheep. Abby’s favorite part of being involved in the Sheep and Swine club is having the opportunity to help others learn more about their own projects. Abby is an active member of the Tuscarora FFA chapter where she is the current secretary and a member of her chapter’s livestock judging team.
Outside of her livestock projects Abby exhibits cakes in the 4-H building that are often sold in the 4-H cake auction. She has also made several garments exhibited in the 4-H building that later compete in the fair’s shepherd’s lead contest. Abby is so excited to be on the royal court this year and serve as a positive advocate for the future of agriculture!
Rachel Zimmerman is 18 years old and a recent graduate of Tuscarora High School. This is her second year serving on the fair Royal Court and she is so excited to get the opportunity to advocate for the fair after being involved since she was eight years old. Rachel has been involved with the 4-H Sheep and Swine Club since she was nine years old and is currently Secretary of the club. She joined the club to raise and show market lambs, and to gain experience with livestock animals. After a few years of showing market lambs Rachel decided to try breeding wool sheep as well. This project quickly turned into a small flock of Bluefaced Leicester sheep. Rachel has also expanded her breeding project to involve Hampshire and Commercial ewes. Over the years she has learned so much about breeding her own lambs and is always excited to learn more. Rachel was appointed as the 2023 Sheep and Wool Ambassador for the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association which was a great opportunity to be an advocate for the sheep industry. Through the 4-H program and the sheep showing community, Rachel has learned much about animal health and nutrition, along with showing and judging all kinds of sheep and livestock.
In 2022 Rachel was a member of the MD State Livestock Judging Team. Rachel has also entered sewing, baking, canning, gardening, and horticulture projects in the 4-H building every year. Many of her cakes have been selected for the cake auction where cakes are sold to support the 4-H program. During her high school career, Rachel has been a part of the Titan Tempo Show Choir for the past four years. In her senior year she was Student Director and Dance Captain which helped her gain more experience working with her own peers in a leadership role. Rachel plans to attend college pursuing an education in Animal Science learning about livestock animals and the agricultural industry. Rachel is thrilled to have the opportunity to serve on the Montgomery County Fair Royal Court and hopes to gain new experiences, meet new people, and learn even more about the fair.
