Lea Yemm of Jim Thorpe wasn’t sure her name would be called. When it was, a goal she had been working toward since childhood had been realized.

Yemm was named the 2026-27 Carbon County Fair Queen on Monday during opening ceremonies of the 27th annual Carbon County Fair at the fairgrounds along Little Gap Road in Lower Towamensing Township.

“I did not think I was going to get it, and I was just so excited to get to have the crown passed down from Eva (Froh), who got me into 4-H,” Yemm said. “Knowing that I get to do this with (alternate) Daphne (Gowin), who’s one of my closest friends in the 4-H program, who I started my journey with, I am so grateful.”

The crown was passed by outgoing queen Eva Froh. Daphne Gowin of Lehighton was named alternate, and Lexi Seiple of Lehighton retained the Junior Miss title for a second consecutive year.

Yemm is a senior from Jim Thorpe and a student at the Carbon Career and Technical Institute in the Electrical Distribution and Automation program. She also holds a dual enrollment at Lehigh Carbon Community College, where she is working toward her associate degree. She is actively involved in SkillsUSA, DECA, Student Council and 4-H, through which she has shown poultry.

With an eye on the state competition, where Carbon County’s queen will go up against more than 60 others at the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs convention in Hershey, Yemm said she plans to carry a message.

“I just want to really show the true character of our county and how great and family feel everything is here at the Carbon County Fair in our county overall, and then out at states,” she said. “I would love to just show that the small counties can do it. That no matter how the numbers are, you can prove yourself to your state, and that you can be somebody. That you don’t have to let anybody tell you otherwise.”

When asked who had supported her through the process, she pointed to family and key figures in the 4-H community — including the person who first got her to the fair as a competitor.

“My parents, my mother and father, my grandmother, who always pushed me to do anything that I felt I could do, and then Kristin Simmons, who got me into 4-H and into poultry, and Maria (Burits), who was just always there for us,” Yemm said.

Burits serves as the fair queen coordinator.

Yemm has attended the Carbon County Fair for years and has a clear picture of what the role means to her. Her favorite part of fair week is Saturday’s show and sale for 4-H youth. Taking the crown, she said, adds a new dimension to that experience — one that comes with a crown worn alongside boots and jeans.

“Showing your face, showing up in the crown, feeling a little bit silly showing up in your boots and jeans, but also your crown — it’s just such a great moment that Saturday, and especially as the day goes on when you’re just soaking up everything that is your fair year,” Yemm said.

To younger girls who might be on the fence about getting involved, she had a straightforward message.

“Don’t let anybody tell you that these two things cannot be attached,” she said. “Because I remember hearing that agriculture and pageantry were two things that did not match, and they did. And don’t let anybody stop you from doing what you believe.”

The Carbon County Fair runs through Saturday at the fairgrounds along Little Gap Road in Palmerton. Admission is $7 for everyone age 6 and older. The fair is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday.