Hemmitt Honored as 2023 Fayette County Fair Volunteer of the Year

The 2023 Fayette County Fair Volunteer of the Year attended her first fair at the tender age of two weeks old and has attended the fair every year since. Shannon Koehl Hemmitt was born into a family that volunteered and participated in the fair in some form each year, especially in the Livestock areas. Shannon’s parents, Marilyn and the late Roy Koehl, chaired and helped with the sheep and lamb shows since the mid-1970s until her dad’s passing in 2017. Therefore, only fitting that she followed in her parent’s footsteps.

As an exhibitor, Shannon participated in the lamb and heifer shows including the commercial heifer until she graduated in 1995. Shannon was a queen’s contestant in 1992 and pounded the pavement selling fair tickets. Upon graduation, Shannon received a Fayette County Fair Academic Scholarship as she continued her education at Blinn College, Austin Community College and Texas State University receiving a degree in Early Childhood Education. In 1999, Shannon moved back to Fayette County to raise her son, Payton, who also was very involved in the Fayette County Fair, exhibiting lambs, heifers, and commercial heifers. Payton now serves on the lamb committee with his mom and aunt, and he is also a member of the association. Shannon could also be found in the Fayetteville Show Fund Food Booth selling the famous Chicken Fried Steak Sandwiches back when Payton was exhibiting and now possibly catch a glimpse of her with her brother, Mark, who now vends at the fair with his BBQ Food trailer, KO’s Cookout. The family can also be found at the fair’s Commercial Heifer Sale supporting the youth of Fayette County in bidding and purchasing replacement heifers just as their dad did.

Since 2018, Shannon has served as a member of the association in helping with planning the fair. She has served as chairman and now co-chairman of the prospect lamb show along with her sister, Cheryl, since 2015. Shannon also has served on the social media committee since 2015 and assists in branding and marketing the fair. Recently, she began working to put together the Grant and Fundraising Committee in a commitment to make the Fayette County Fair bigger and better with additional community resources. Shannon joined the Pageant committee in 2018 where she took over chairperson duties in 2019. She was instrumental is adding the Jr. Miss Fayette County Contest in 2022 which has surpassed expectations in carnival pass sales and includes preteen contestants in the pageant. Shannon coordinates with the Fayette County Go Texan allowing the court to ride in the Rodeo Houston Grand Entry on Fayette County Day. You might see her more often throughout the year pulling the Fayette Co. Fair Float in 20 parades over the state and traveling nearly 2000 miles with the court in tow or at the Cowboy Gathering selling drinks.

Shannon’s servant heart shines through in her work with the fair, but she has also worked at McCourt Equipment as a Service Billing Coordinator for the past two years and owns her own business, Inspired Treats and Events by Nae, where she has been creating amazing pastries and cakes since 2017. She has volunteered with the La Grange Little League, La Grange Optimist Club, Fayette Co 4-H and is a member of St John’s Lutheran Church in Rutersville. Shannon enjoys baking, checking cows, hanging with her fur babies, watching Houston Astros Baseball and spending time with her family.