The 2023 Hooker County Fair King & Queen are John and Julie Kraye.
John Kraye is a Mullen native, and other than a year in college in Kearney, he has been here his whole life.
Julie was born and raised in Wheatridge, Colorado.
They met at Big Lil’s in Mullen in the fall of 1983 and married in Mullen in the spring of 1984. Since they have been married, they have lived on the family ranch southwest of Mullen. They have two children.
David and his wife Stacy and their two precious little girls, also live on the ranch.
Their daughter, Helen, lives in Omaha and is a quality control supervisor for a small, privately owned, manufacturing company.
John has served on numerous boards through the years. He was an officer for the Rural Fire Board, on the FSA board and the RC&D board. He is currently serving on the board for the Upper Loup Natural Resources, and has attended the multi-county Hazard Mitigation meetings.
John is also the president of The Nebraska Cattlemen, Sandhills Affiliate.
Julie is currently a Hooker County Commissioner, is on the board for the Hooker County Lodging Tax Fund and is a member of the Hooker County Community Center board.
Until Julie’s recent illness, John and Julie have always worked together on the ranch.
In their spare time, John is an avid card player and enjoys spending time on his tablet researching various things.
Both John and Julie like to spend time with their granddaughters.
courtesy photo