2024 Retiring King
Eli Bryant
Eli Bryant is a ten-year independent member and the son of Brian and Sandra Bryant of Carmi.
In the past nine years Eli has enjoyed taking shooting sports, swine, crops, and vegetable gardening. In shooting sports, he has placed first in shotgun many years. He has also enjoyed attending the 4-H state shotgun shoot each fall, also attending Nationals this past summer.
Eli’s 4-H Honors include receiving the Victory Award early on in his 4-H career, the Community Involvement award, personal development medal, and the safety and health awards.
4-H has been a family tradition. The 4-H livestock auction is an event we always look forward to and never miss. 4-H has taught Eli how to communicate with adults and many life skills. He has learned which projects he really enjoys and has focused on those to make it a fun experience.
Besides 4-H, Eli is a freshman at Lake Land College in the John Deere Diesel Tech program. He had the opportunity to internship at Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners in Norris City this past summer and will continue that over school breaks until he graduates. He continues to help on the family farm. He attends First Christian Church in Carmi.
2024 Retiring Queen
Katelyn Davis
Katelyn is a nine-year member of the Mad Hatters 4-H Club and the daughter of Aaron and Holly Davis of Carmi.
In her eight years in 4-H Katelyn has gone above and beyond in taking 4-H projects. She has taken too many to mention, but has narrowed them down to her favorite five projects she has enjoyed the most: Visual Arts-Stained Glass, Creative Writing, Visual Arts Cake Decorating, Public Speaking, and her top favorite Legislative Connection. She loved meeting with legislators in Springfield to lobby for 4-H.
Her 4-H honors have included Outstanding First Year Member, Grand Champion at the State Fair in Stained Glass, Nature, and Family Heritage, State Fair in Public Speaking, State level Emerald Experience Award in Project Learning and Leadership and being elected President of her club.
4-H allows Katelyn to grow as a person in a variety of areas, gives her a chance to give back to her community, allowing her to experience things she wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise, and helps her create new personal connections that will last a lifetime.
Besides being active in 4-H, Katelyn is a member of the Carmi-White County Girls Golf Team, member of the Class of 2027 Student Council, member of the CWCHS Drama Club, Key Club officer, and attends Carmi Emmanuel Church.
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2025 Queen Candidate
Kinsey Allen
Kinsey Allen is an eight-year member of the Mad Hatters 4-H Club and the daughter of David and Amanda Allen of Norris City.
In the past seven years Kinsey has enjoyed working on several different projects. Her top five projects would have to be leather craft, shopping in style, visual arts, public speaking, and babysitting.
Her 4-H honors have included the Encouragement Award, the I Dare You Award, receiving the State Fair Inspire Award, and singing the National Anthem at the DuQuoin State Fair in 2023.
4-H is important to Kinsey because 4-H creates unending opportunities: helping people, growing leaders, representing our community, and so much more. Being in 4-H has taught her so much about life. She has made lasting friendships. She loves being involved in White County making connections with people and impacting lives by helping others.
Outside of 4-H, Kinsey enjoys working as a barista at Duo Boutique and Coffeehouse in Norris City. She has worked there for over three years and is blessed to have such amazing coworkers and bosses. Her favorite part of her job is connecting with the community. Kinsey owes her passion for public speaking to 4-H. Over the past couple of years, she has competed in many beauty pageants, and this past November was crowned the 2024-2025 Norris City Christmas Village Queen. 4-H inspires her to use the stage as a platform to make her speeches and on-stage answers encouraging to others.
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2025 Queen Candidate
Katelyn Garner
Katelyn is an eight-year member of the Centerville Ripsnorters 4-H Club and the daughter of Kelly & Jaclyn Garner of Crossville.
In 4-H Katelyn takes a variety of projects including Clothing, Photography, Visual Arts Heritage Arts, and Beef. She has enjoyed showing her heifers these past seven years. She was excited to win Grand Champion Heifer at the 2025 4-H livestock show. She also was very proud of her photo editing project which was a picture of her show heifers. She has received a Grand Champion at the state fair for her photo editing projects the past two years.
Her 4-H honors include the Public Service Announcement Award, winning the beef herdsman award, and winning the Inspire award for food preservation canning at the State Fair all in 2023. She won the Emerald Award in Project learning in 22, Community Service in 23, Project learning in 24, and is projected to winning it again this year in 25.
4-H is special to Katelyn because it has taught her a lot on how to be a good leader. She has learned many skills throughout her years in 4-H. It has helped her to become a better public speaker. Throughout her 4-H career she has gained many friendships with people from all over. Overall, she is so thankful for the opportunities that 4-H has given to her.
Other than 4-H, Katelyn is the treasurer of the CWCHS FFA, member of the student council, CWCHS cheerleader, member of the Kiwanis Key Club, and involved at FBC youth group.
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2025 Queen Candidate
Trinity McCormick
Trinity is an eight-year member of the Mad Hatters 4-H Club and the daughter of Matt and Shelly McCormick of Carmi.
Trinity has enjoyed taking leather craft, scrapbooking, passport to the world, cooking, and welding in the past seven years.
Her 4-H honors have included participating at the Illinois State Fair, receiving the Encouragement Award, receiving the I Dare You Award, was the 2023-2024 Federation President, and she enjoyed participating in the Food Challenge during the White County 4-H Fair this past July.
4-H is special to Trinity because it has opened a new world for her. With 4-H she has become a responsible, mature, young adult. She has learned how to use creative thinking and balancing her time better. She has met lifelong friends through 4-H and made connections with leaders that will always be there to help her. She can’t imagine how she would be without 4-H in her life.
Outside of 4-H, Trinity is a member of the Carmi Swim team, is a lifeguard at the Carmi pool, serves in children’s ministries at her church, sings on the praise and worship team, she is in the White County CEO Program, and tutors younger kids at her school.
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2025 Queen Candidate
Jalynn Phillips
Jalynn is an eight-year member of the 76 Clovers 4-H Club and the daughter of Jeff and Stacy Phillips of Norris City.
In her past seven years Jalynn has enjoyed taking child development, service learning, poultry, clothing and this past year, goats. She enjoys learning how to sew from her grandma, as she truly loves spending time with her and hearing all the stories from her and how she learned to sew from her Granny and her mom.
Jalynn’s 4-H honors include receiving the Diamond Award for project learning in 2022 in 2024 and then Emerald in project learning in 2023.
She has been fortunate to receive Reserve Grand Champion in 2022 for her Health project at the state fair, then Grand Champion in 2023 for her clothing. This past August she won Grand Champion at the 2025 Illinois State Fair for her Sports Nutrition Project.
4-H is special to Jalynn because she has had the opportunity to learn many new skills through attending workshops. The T-shirt bag workshop taught her how to make the bags that then she taught her youth group and 4-H club how to make. Those bags were then donated to those in need in Africa and the Carmi Compassion Center. She is not sure without 4-H that she would have taken the time to learn these skills and absolutely loves it. 4-H has always taught her the value of hard work.
Outside of 4-H Jalynn has been very busy with being Valedictorian of the 8th grade class, Vice President of the Freshman class, member of the NCOE student council, FFA, FCCLA, Red Army, Math, and Science Clubs, playing volleyball and being a cheerleader. She is also a member of Ditney Ridge Church and the Ignite youth group.
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2025 Queen Candidate
Johanna Zieren
Johanna is a seven-year member of the Enfield Blue Ribbon 4-H Club and the daughter of Joe and Erica Zieren of Carmi.
In her past six years Johanna has enjoyed taking vet science, horticulture, photography, goats, and swine.
Her favorite project is her goats. Her favorite time of year is birthing season, watching the new bonds between does & kids.
Her top 4-H honors have been receiving the Emerald Award in project learning two years and two years in community service. With another emerald award projected for this past year as well in project learning. Other honors have included several grand champions in goats and rabbits, along with reserve grand champion in swine, and was the showmanship winner in goats multiple times.
4-H is special to Johanna as it has helped her grow in many different skills such as public speaking, responsibility, leadership, and time management. It has exposed her to subject areas that she never would have learned about in school. Most importantly she has met lifelong friends through 4-H from Carmi and beyond.
Outside of 4-H, Johanna is the secretary for the CWCHS FFA chapter, in the CWCHS Drama department and League of Arts where she has participated in 10 total productions from backstage to onstage. She has been a two-time Math team State Contest qualifier, in Kiwanis Key Club, Historians Club, and a member of the Emmanuel Church in Carmi.