News : Sash crowned Benton County Fair Queen; Hilmer named Princess

Fair Queen Payton Sash, left and Princess Bobbie Hilmer, were crowned Thursday.

Payton Sash reacts to being named Fair Queen.

Fair Queen Payton Sash, left and Princess Bobbie Hilmer, were crowned Thursday.

Payton Sash will spend her last year of high school representing Benton County as the 2016 Fair Queen.

The daughter of Kevin and Mary Jo Sash, Payton was crowned Thursday night by 2015 Queen Sarah Kreutner.

Payton, who has two younger sisters, Olivia, and Rylee, will be a senior at Union High School this fall. She lives on a small goat farm in La Porte City and currently plans on going to Iowa State to major in Agriculture in Society or Agricultural Business.

In school, she is involved in the fall play, group speech, and individual speech, cross country, golf, Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), Future Problem Solvers (FPS), the volunteer program, and band color guard. Payton is also a member of her FFA chapter were she is currently serving as officer at large. Some of her favorite activities through FFA has been competing in Parliamentary Procedure helping with their greenhand camp, and running for district office. She has recently been inducted into her schools National Honor Society which she has begun volunteering. She has been a part of A-Team and Honor Roll throughout her high school career. She has worked hard on her grades ever since beginning school, she is part of the Bruce Booster 4H Club and the Benton County Council. She is excited to be a camp counselor for 4H Junior camp this summer.

Payton is also very busy with work, as she has worked as a lifeguard for the past two summers at the Dysart Family Aquatic Center and as a cashier before that. However, her biggest accomplishment as well job has been her time as an employee at the Iowa House of Representatives. While there she was a page for the 86th general assembly where she assisted the representatives at all times, helped with meetings, and organized bills.

In the past years she has had the honor of receiving her chapter’s Star Greenhand award and was the State Runner-Up in FFA goat proficiency two years in a row. She has received the Mother Moon Scholarship Award for her volunteer service to her community. She has also had the honor of attending the Iowa Youth Institute World Food Prize after conducting research on water sanitation in Uganda to discuss how to better serve our world.

Hilmer named Princess

Another Union student, Bobbie Hilmer, was crowned Fair Princess.

Bobbie is the daughter of Robert and Kimberly Hilmer of Dysart, and has one sister Katie.

She is involved in various activities at Union High School, including National Honor Society, World Food Prize, Borlaug Scholar, State Individual Speech, FFA, Band, color-guard, jazz band, tennis, theater, Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), academic decathlon, “A” team/honor roll, and silver cord volunteer program at Union.

Outside of school she is involved in the Bruce Boosters 4H club, Benton County Youth Council, volunteer camp counselor, helping with various Club Dysart activities, an she is employed at the Playhouse Daycare and Dysart family ear, she Aquatic Center. In addition she is a five-year member of her 4H Club and has served as treasurer and reporter during her 4H career. At the beginning of her Freshman year, she became involved in the LA Porte- Dysart FFA Chapter, and after she attended her first National Convention she was hooked. Bobbie has participated continuously in her chapter and she is currently serving as vice president. She has also participated in contests throughout her FFA career, including Conduct of Mattings, Parliamentary Procedure and the making of the chapter display board.

Bobbie has received several awards for her projects at the Benton County Fair, has earned the “I dare you” Award, is a participant in the High School Leadership Institute, treasure Book Award, fifth place team at State Academic Decathlon, and Athletic, Service and academic Varsity Letter Winner.