Becca Schuch named 59th Antique Festival queen
Aphia Chupp, left, Becca Schuch and Kaylin Williams provided a trio of capable queen contestants in the Holmes County Antique Festival queen contest, all of whom emcee Kerri Rodhe said would make terrific representatives for the festival and Holmes County. Schuch would be crowned as the 2022-23 queen.
The Holmes County Antique Festival is celebrating its 60th year, and in 59 of those years, the festival has crowned a queen to preside over the proceedings and ride the top perch in the grand parade’s final float as their first foray into the parade route.
The three hopefuls for the queen’s role in this year’s contest were Aphia Chupp, Becca Schuch and Kaylin Williams, and according to contest emcee Kerri Rodhe, any of the trio of young women would have made outstanding queens.
“When you have a great trio of girls that you know will do great things in the year coming,” Rodhe said, “that’s exciting to see and be a part of, and I want them all to do so well, and that makes me super-nervous.”
Rodhe said she can still remember not only her queen speech, but also parts of her speech she made as a princess contestant, and she said this contest still sends waves of joy throughout the committee, and seeing the girls work hard and follow through makes their effort worthwhile.
This is very rewarding for all of us because of the qualities that can grow out of this for the girls,” Rodhe said. “It’s a chance for these girls to try something different, something new that gives them a chance to get out in the community and experience some new things.”
Each contestant gave a speech encompassing one aspect of Holmes County history and had to answer a random question.
Schuch, a senior at West Holmes who participated in the queen contest as a freshman, said she figured she would try it again this year because many of her high school activities were winding down and she wanted to try something new.
“It all worked out,” said Schuch, who has gotten plenty of opportunities to speak in front of people through various WHHS FFA experiences and serving on the Holmes County Fair Junior Fair Board.
She said she felt like she would be OK because all of the public speaking she has done in the past, but she never saw herself winning until her name was called and the tiara and sash were placed on her.
“Both the other two girls are wonderful and talented, and I am so excited to get the opportunity to travel with them and with the princesses in the coming year,” Schuch said.
She said traveling and meeting new people is what she anticipates greatly.
As a teen who is highly involved in many activities, Schuch said she manages her time by filling out her daily planner with color-coded pens. She said communication with teachers, leaders and especially her parents has been important.
“That’s a big part of staying on top of things,” she said.
The 2021-22 Antique Festival Queen Sydney Rolince flashed a smile in sharing her joys from the past year, which included a list of thank-yous to all those who helped her tour Ohio and visit festivals over the past year.
She said being a part of the history of Antique Festival royalty was enriching, especially because she joined her three sisters, who also served as queen over the years.
She said she was encouraged by the many people she met throughout her year of traveling as queen.
“You never know what lies around the bend, but I am going to believe that the best does,” Rolince said. “Without knowing what comes next, it’s such a beautiful mystery and one of humanity’s biggest fears that seems to dictate every aspect of our lives. Every time we experience something painful or stressful, we build walls. We gain trust issues. But there is always a light we can’t see in the middle of the darkest night. A star is still shining because every morning the sun rises again and we start each day fresh.
“Being a queen showed me even more light in some of my darkest times.”
She said people commenting on her antique dress and little girls saying they wanted to be a queen like her someday would always be uplifting.
She said her court was always there to support her, and while she doesn’t know what lies around the bend, she chooses to believe the best awaits.
Rodhe, who was selected as Antique Festival princess and queen during her younger days, said watching these young women follow in her and all of the other queens’ footsteps is exciting because she recognizes the personal growth that can take place when a young woman invests in performing her duties as queen in the right manner.
Rodhe said getting to spend five weeks with the girls preparing them for the contest has made an impression on her in seeing their development and confidence grow.
And knowing each of these young women will embrace their roles and mature as they travel while portraying the delights of the festival and Holmes County will be something they too will cherish many years down the road.