Jayden Gursky, 18, of Palmerton was crowned the 2023 Carbon County Fair Queen, succeeding her older sister Kiersten Gursky.

Kiersten was emotional during her final speech as the queen during coronation ceremonies Monday at the fair, but thrilled when she heard her sister named the new queen.

“I’m excited for her,” Kiersten said. “I’m very happy.”

Lea Yemm, 14, of Jim Thorpe, was named Junior Miss. She received the tiara from the reigning Junior Miss, Morgan Myers, 15, of Lehighton.

Daphne Gowin, 13, of Lehighton, was Junior Miss Runner-Up.

Monday was the opening day of the weeklong fair and attendance was down because of storms, including a tornado watch for eastern Pennsylvania. The weather forced the postponement of a fireworks show from Monday to this evening. The garden tractor pull was postponed to Friday.

The Fair Queen pageant officially kicked off the 24th anniversary of the fair, with the rain holding off until the pageant ended.

Special guests attending the pageant were Brianna Shupp, the reigning West End Fair Queen, and Sophia Alcamo, the reigning West End Fair Junior Miss.

Malinda Fox, president of the fair, said that next year, when the fair celebrates its 25th anniversary, it will be held at its new location - about a half-mile west of the existing grounds along Little Gap Highway.

Since its inception the fair has been held on a site owned by Blue Mountain Resort.

Several special awards were presented during the coronation program.

A “Friend of the Fair” Award was presented to Kyle Strohl and his family by Tracy Barone, representing the Pa. Department of Agriculture.

The Strohl family, owners of Old School Promotions, has been running junk car races at the fair for the last 15 years.

They also received citations from state Rep. Doyle Heffley and state Sen. David Argall,

Three benches with small, gold plaques on them were presented.

Two of the benches are in memory of Nancy Herzog and in memory of Paul Strohl, and in a surprise presentation, Cody Silliman announced a bench in honor of his grandfather, Bob Silliman, who was an organizer of the fair and served as president for 22 years.

“Friends of the Fair” plaques were given to Tara Latshaw, Pamela Gothard and Ann Fogal.

Heffley said he met Myers at the fair when she was very young and showed a duck. This year she is showing a steer. Heffley said the theme of the fair is “growing the future,” saying it is an appropriate one for the 4-H program.

Carbon County Commissioner Chris Lukasevich praised the six Lions and Lioness Clubs which worked together to revitalize the Carbon County Fair.

He said the history of the fair goes back to 1858 when the first one was held in Weissport.

Lukasevich also mentioned the county’s agricultural heritage and the importance of supporting agriculture.

Martha Moyer sang the National Anthem and God Bless America. A gun salute was offered by the Palmerton UVO.

Jayden and Kiersten Gursky are both students at East Stroudsburg University. Jayden, a recent graduate of Palmerton High School, is majoring in biology. Kiersten is majoring in athletic training.

Jayden said it “feels good” to follow in her sister’s footsteps as fair queen but added she was “very proud” of Kiersten’s accomplishments.

She said of Kiersten, “It’s definitely nice for her because she doesn’t do this type of stuff. She’s more into animals, getting dirty and racing. She’s a tom boy.”

On Wednesday, the two sisters will be competitors when they drive in the Junk Car Race.

Fox said she is happy because the weather forecast for the rest of the week is promising.

Today is children’s day.“There will be a lot of giveaways,” Fox said.