Sisters Clark County Fair Queen Heidi Williamson and Princess River said serving on the Clark County Fair Court is the culmination of years spent riding horses, showing at the fair and learning the skills that come with 4-H.
The sisters, who grew up participating in 4-H together through Royal Riders, joined the Clark County Fair Court after trying out on the final day of the 2025 fair. Their yearlong reign will conclude when the next court is crowned on the final day of this year’s fair.
The two said their interest in the court grew from watching previous fair courts while participating in 4-H and showing horses.
“Since we're little girls, we've always seen the Clark County Fair Court when we're showing 4-H and the horses around here,” Williamson said. “So, that's what sparked our interest a little bit to try out together.”
The sisters have spent much of their lives around horses. Their grandmother owned horses and introduced them to riding and showing at the fair.
“Our grandma's always had horses. So we grew up showing horses and riding them,” Williamson said. “And then she brought us into the fair to show, which was a really cool experience. Cause you're with a group and you show your horse and just learn all the things about safety and showing and all that jazz.”
Both sisters had participated in 4-H for nearly a decade, they said. For the Williamson sisters, the transition from 4-H to the Fair Court has meant moving from learning and competition to serving as ambassadors for the fair.
“4-H is definitely more about projects and learning,” River said. “Most of 4-H is developed around learning about horses and educational things and safety versus Fair Court, we are ambassadors of the fair. So we're more so representing the fair than representing education for the fair.”
Their familiarity with the fair has helped them in their role.
“After showing 4-H and being with the fair, we're good examples of being ambassadors of the fair because we've always grown up going to the fair every single year,” Williamson said. “So we know all the milkshakes at the dairy women, the rides, the animals, how hard people work for all that. So we get to embrace the fair even better on the fair court.”
While the responsibilities are substantial, the court also provides opportunities to enjoy the fair from horseback. The sisters participate in parades and rodeos and interact with fairgoers.
“We represent the fair during parades, which is really fun because we get to dress up and wear pretty outfits on the horses with the flower packs,” Williamson said. “Same with the rodeos. And at the rodeos, we get to represent and have a fun time getting the crowd riled up.”
For both sisters, the opportunity to serve with their longtime 4-H project horse has been particularly meaningful. Howie, a 21-year-old horse, was utilized by both sisters as their 4-H project and is now the horse Williamson rides as part of the Fair Court.
“Probably just having the gift of growing up with my horse and like finishing off our year of representing the fair with him has been incredible,” Williamson said. “I've started off showing the fair with him and we've switched around horses. She even rode him for a little bit just to finish him off because he was younger at the time. So we grew up together.”
The sisters also said being able to serve together has been one of the highlights of their experience.
Their experience has also reinforced their appreciation for 4-H and the lessons it provides beyond the fairgrounds.
“I'm very thankful for the program and I hope to see it grow more again,” Williamson said. “I hope more people show more interest in doing 4-H because we learned so many skills that even helped me through high school and college.”
River encouraged young people to explore the program, noting that 4-H encompasses much more than horses.
“4-H is a good program for kids because you get to learn so much about public speaking, how to take care of an animal,” she said.
For the sisters, their path from 4-H participants to Fair Court ambassadors has provided an opportunity to give back to the fair community that helped shape them.
“I hope more people try to get involved with 4-H,” Williamson said.
Note: Reflector reporter Marcus McCormic contributed to this article
