Ava Immel is a firm believer in the theory it takes a village to raise a child.

The senior at Lampeter-Strasburg High School, who was recently named 2025 Pennsylvania Fair Queen, is grateful for the support of family and friends and credits her ag teachers and Garden Spot FFA advisers Katie Ranck and Holly Oberholtzer with helping her chase her dreams.

"(Ranck and Oberholtzer) have always told me it takes a village behind you to get to places in your life," Ava said. "This is one of the places it took me. They helped me with my speech, my introduction, and the tough love is how I got to where I am today. They'll tell me if it's bad. They'll tell me if it's good, but it always helps."

Ava was crowned PA Fair Queen in a ceremony at the Hershey Lodge on Jan. 25, the final day of the three-day competition.

Contestants were interviewed on the first day and delivered a speech on day two. Everyone had to answer the same question: Why should you come to my fair? Ava took the judges through a day in her life at the West Lampeter Fair, telling the panel, "It's not as much about the events as it is the moments behind them."

The contestants were not sure where they stood at that point. "You don't really know anything yet," Ava said. "We all got called on stage and we sat there. Then they announce the top five."

That's when Ava got her first pleasant surprise of the night. "There were 61 other contestants, so I didn't think I was one of the ones who was going to be called," she said. "I knew I had done a good job, but this was the state competition, so I assumed everyone had done just as well. I was very shocked when I got in the top five but also excited because I like the challenge of the on-the-spot questions."

The final five were sequestered and called on stage one by one to answer a final question: How would you communicate the economics of your fair to your community? After past state fair queens were recognized, the new sash and crown were passed down and the alternate's name was announced as the top five held hands.

"There was a drum roll, and it got really quiet," said Ava. "Then they announced the queen. It was crazy. I was not expecting it at all. But I was really excited because I knew I had a lot of strong competition coming into it. ... Honestly, I think my jaw hit the floor. I was a little shocked, and I walked over and I was getting hugs from the new alternate (Brooke Beam) and the past state fair queen (Erica Teagarden). It really hadn't sunk in. I was called over, and they put a crown on my head."

Ava enjoyed being the center of attention for the night. "I've never been that type of person," she said. "I went back to the Hershey Lodge lobby, and I was being serenaded on a guitar. People were singing to me. We had a conga line."

Ava is the third West Lampeter Community Fair queen who went on to become Pennsylvania Fair Queen, joining Jacqueline Pratt Tuke in 2001 and Drew An Brubaker in 2011.

"The state fair queen title is a well-deserved honor for Ava," Ranck said. "She has worked hard on her public speaking, leadership, and advocacy skills through the FFA program, and her new platform will give her the opportunity to grow as well as give to communities all across the commonwealth. Ava is gracious, poised, and intelligent and will be a great ambassador for agriculture over her next year of service."

Ava, who will attend Delaware Valley University this fall and study animal nutrition, plans to network during her reign. "It's definitely a door of opportunity," she said.

Ava has already performed one of her duties, appearing Feb. 4 at the state capitol for the annual Cornucopia event held by the Pennsylvania State Council of Farm Organizations (PSCFO).

She will attend Ag Progress Days in August and spend the entire week at the Farm Show Jan. 10 to 17, 2026.

Ava plans to attend 40 community fairs this summer and will receive more requests to make appearances at community events.

"I'm a person who likes a busy schedule," Ava said. "I'm just excited to go see all the fairs and have the opportunity to go all around."

Ava is most excited about seeing the fairs, meeting the people, and trying new foods. "It's cool because you get to meet their queens and see their ceremonies," said Ava. "I haven't been to fairs outside of Lancaster County. Every different part of Pennsylvania has different agriculture and communities."

She's proud to represent the West Lampeter Fair and Lampeter-Strasburg. "It's definitely awesome," Ava said. "I know the whole community is behind me. It definitely took a village to get there, for sure."

She received a warm welcome home from friends and classmates. "The first day I came back, I had a lot of people congratulating me," said Ava. "I went to a friend's (Sarah Firestone's) house and they had a red carpet laid out for me and queen balloons."

Ava is the daughter of Angela and Douglas Immel, and she has three brothers, Nicholas, Will, and Beau.