Three ladies competing to be next Athens Fair queen
Three young ladies Elle Gauerke, Alonna Haines and Carlissa Tomandl are currently selling Athens Fair raffle tickets to become queen of the 118th Athens Fair this summer. The Athens Fair will be held on Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 18-21. Below are profiles for each of the three fair queen candidates.
Elle Gauerke
She is the daughter of Jodi and Danielle Gauerke of Athens. Elle Gauerke is 17 years old and the youngest of four siblings. She will be a senior at Athens High School this fall.
“I am driven, positive and hardworking which I apply to the clubs I’ve been apart of,” Elle said. “I’ve been apart of the A-Team and SSA, along with being president of the FCCLA. These organizations have taught me so many elements that I can apply almost anywhere.”
She is the school wrestling manager and she plays varsity softball in the spring.
“In the future, I want to obtain a bachelor’s degree in a health-related major at a four-year university; the health field takes a lot of skill and many characteristics,” Elle Gauerke said. “I have spent countless hours eating and enjoying the fair’s entertainment. Running for Athens Fair Queen will be a great opportunity to put myself out there and meet people in my community while supporting the fair.”
Alonna Haines
She is the daughter of Jon Haines and Starr and Brock Guralski. Alonna Haines will be a senior at Athens High School this fall. For the past three years, she’s been involved in the following high school activities: Youth Apprenticeship at Athens Area Credit Union, forensics, student council, vice president of the Class of 2023, FBLA, FCCLA, SSA, basketball and track and field.
“This summer I am excited to run for fair queen to continue to build relationships with community members and to help raise appreciation for the Athens Fair in the future,” Alonna said. “In the past, I have spent countless hours on the fairgrounds supporting those who show and eating lots of food from the different stands! I am excited to get more involved this year and show my adoration for the Athens Fair.”
Carlissa Tomandl
She says she is honored to be running to become the 2022-23 Athens Fair queen. Carlissa lives on a dairy farm outside of Athens and she breeds registered Nigerian Dwarf goats. She also owns some show chickens, her pet bunny and a quarter horse named Rizzin.
“When I was little I showed horses, bunnies, chickens, goats and beef cattle, not to mention all the paintings and pictures I would also bring to the fair,” Carlissa said. “In more recent years, I narrowed it down to just showing my horses and goats at the fair. Since I was little, the Athens Fair has been a big part of my life, from showing my animals to hanging out with friends, going on the rides and, of course, the food.
Every year I showed animals at the fair, I always watched the fair queen; she was always smiling and nice and even if I didn’t do well in my show class, she would still say that I did a good job! When I was little, I told my parents I wanted to be an Athens Fair queen; who wouldn’t want to be! The fair queens are my role models and I looked up to them and inspired to be just like them one day! My younger self would be really proud of how far I’ve come. Thank you all so much for this opportunity and I hope to see all of you at the Athens fair!”
