SMITHFIELD — Royalty often is associated with monarchies, but county fairs also have a king, a queen, a prince and a princess

That includes the Jefferson County Fair. Opening ceremonies for the 154th event are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Monday at the Rozsa Pavilion inside the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Smithfield. This year’s theme is Stars, Stripes and Starry Nights.

This year’s king is Kamden Kinyo, a member of the Windy Ridge 4-H Club and a student at Buckeye Local High School.

The 2025 queen’s court consists of four candidates. They include Gabby Bodo, Aubrey Duggan, Natalie Lucas and Grace Miller.

Bodo is a member of the Cross Creek Tomahawks 4-H Club and a graduate of Steubenville High School. Duggan is a member of the Cross Creek Tomahawks and a graduate of Steubenville High School. Lucas is an independent exhibitor, a former member of the Country Classics 4-H Club, a graduate of Edison High School and a freshman at Wilmington College. Miller is a member of the Windy Ridge 4-H Club and a student at Harrison Central High School.

The queen will be named during Monday’s opening ceremonies.

Fair royalty includes a prince and princess. Officials stated 17 area students interviewed for the titles. This year’s choice for prince was Noah Graham, a member of the 4-H Varieties 4-H Club and a home-schooled student. Amelia “Mimi” Ault, who is a member of the Broken Fences 4-H Club and a student at Edison Local, is the princess.

The fair will not begin charging admission until Tuesday, according to officials.

Monday’s events will include a junior dog show and a talent show, all of which free to the public.

The fair will be participating in a statewide effort to fight hunger and give back to the community. This week, The Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer contest is a friendly competition among fairs to collect food donations for area food banks. Participating fairs are awarded $500, with additional prizes being $5,000 for first place, $1,500 for second place and $500 for third place. The prize money goes directly back to 4-H programs to support youth development in rural communities. The contest is presented by Farm Credit Mid-America and sponsored by Rural 1st.

Fair activities were scheduled to get under way Saturday, with the Special Olympics Unified Livestock Show. The king and queen from that event will be revealed during Monday’s opening ceremonies. The fair runs through Aug. 17.