Lorain County natives wear crowns as senior king, queen

A tiara was crowned on Wilma Zech of Wellington and a corsage was bestowed upon Tennessee native L.D. Daugherty during Lorain County Fair’s annual Senior Citizen King and Queen Contest on Aug. 23.

“The Lorain County Fair is something that I’ve been to every single year,” said Zech after winning, who is fighting a bad back after taking a recent fall. “I came to the fair anyway because I had to be here.”

Zech, 83 beat out contestants Phyllis Haynes, 85, and Penny Case, 73, both of Wellington, while

Daugherty, 82, ran uncontested.

Conrad Zech, Wilma Zech’s husband of 63 years, also was nominated for senior king, but was unable to attend due to a broken leg.

Zech said her father was in charge of the beekeeping at the fair, which led her to attending the event for a majority of her life.

She said she has been involved in Lorain County’s Farm Bureau and has served an advisory for the 4-H program for 65 years.

“If you started (65 years ago), you should’ve been about three years old,” joked Gene Briscoe, the contest’s MC and WBOL/WDLW’s radio morning host.

Daugherty served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and worked at Fisico for a majority of his life.

He has four children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He said that he enjoys gardening, chickens and camping.

Zech’s contestants also had strong local roots.

Case has lived in Lorain County her entire life, graduating from Wellington High School in 1964.

She said she loved to cook and writes a column in The Enterprise Newspaper called “Penny’s Pantry.”

“I don’t consider myself an elderly person,” Case said.

“My phrase is ‘Growing old is mandatory, but you never have to grow up,’” Briscoe said.

“Oh, I know that,” Case said.

At the end of the contest, Briscoe asked Case if she would return to the pageant next year.

“I hope not, my dear,” she said. “I’m not a talker.”

Haynes was born in Lakewood and has lived in many different places in Ohio, including Elyria and Cuyahoga Falls.

She said she was married to a Methodist pastor for 36 years and moved every six years for her husband’s work.

Haynes said she enjoys musicals and has performed in “Oklahoma,” “The Sound of Music” and “Oklahoma.”

Upon Briscoe’s request, she sang a bit of an “Oklahoma” song.

Although her voice was quiet against a chatty crowd, each word strung together in tune.