Published: August 06, 2008 10:19 pm         

Bridgeport native to reign over events at State Fair

FAIRLEA — In her role as the 2008 Miss West Virginia Association of Fairs and Festivals, Heather Marie Hostutler of Bridgeport will reign over a wide range of activities at the State Fair of West Virginia.

The 21-year-old Hostutler competed in the state pageant as Miss West Virginia Strawberry Festival.

“I’m very excited,” said Hostutler, in discussing both her role at the State Fair and the fun she expects to have in her free time at the annual exposition.

“I love the funnel cakes with tons of powdered sugar and the cinnamon buns,” the hazel-eyed brunette said in describing her favorite fair foods.

“I like the ferris wheel. When I get up on the top, I can look out at everything,” she said, in selecting her favorite carnival ride.

‘‘I want people to come up and talk with me. I’m a friendly person and I like to talk,’’ said Hostutler, who is the official hostess at the State Fair.

‘‘My parents are coming with me,” points out Hostutler, the daughter of Bill and Brenda Hostutler. Her younger sister, Megan, also will be on hand for the activities, she said.

“I’m trying to get my grandmother to come, too,” Hostutler added.

The second runner-up in the 2008 Miss West Virginia USA pageant, Hostutler is a junior at West Virginia University where she is pursuing a degree in exercise physiology. Her overall educational plan is enter the dentistry field.

According to Hostutler, her goal is to work with children in the Mountain State and to help improve both their health and their future.

She has been named to both the WVU Dean’s List and the National Dean’s List and is a National Mathematics Award winner. She holds membership in the Sigma Alpha Lamda Honor Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholar and has been a recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Award and the West Virginia Promise Scholarship.

Volunteerism has played a key role in Hostutler’s life. Some of the activities in which she has been involved are West Virginia Universitiy Hospital, including its holiday parties and the Salvation Army, Crusades for Christ, the Read and Lead program and Christian Help Birthday Bags.

“I’ve already logged more than 1,000 miles,” said Hostutler. She has made guest appearances at the Poultry Festival, Paw Paw Fair and the Cabell County Fair as well as the Strawberry Festival.

“I still have tons of miles to go,” she said.

“Grandma’s homemade noodles, grilled chicken and anything sweet,” is the anwer Hostutler gives when queried about her favoties foods. She lists her hobbies as boating, exercising and being with family and friends.

Meeting First Lady Laura Bush and modeling for Jovani in Atlanta, Ga., are two highlights of her life, she noted.