4-H FAIR: Queen ready for Purdue courses

By Scott L. Miley

July 18, 2008 09:25 pm

— Laura Bohlander will relinquish her reign as 4-H Fair Queen on Sunday.
This fall, the 18 year-old Elwood High School graduate enters Purdue University with the aim of becoming a corporate lawyer specializing in ag-related issues.
She grew up on a farm near Elwood owned by her parents, Greg and Pam.
“The value of 4-H to me is everything that I’ve learned,” Bohlander said recently. “It helps me grow more as a person and become more well-rounded”
She spoke after just modeling an outfit in the Consumer Clothing competition at the Fairgrounds in Alexandria.
“With all of my various projects, I’m able to see different areas of society. With my animals, I can see the agriculture part. With foods and clothing, I can see more of the consumer side of everything.”
Laura’s sister Kaitlin was the Fair Queen in 2005, the first year that Laura was in the contest. Laura received first runner-up in the 2006 pageant.
“People were kind of expecting me to be crowned by my sister so there was more pressure on me than probably anybody else,” she acknowledged. “But the cards fell the way they did. I was able to get it the next year, which was fine with me.”
As part of her duties, she participated in the State Fair Queen Pageant while showing her own projects at the state level. Receiving the crown last year also allowed her time to work on projects to cap her 10 years in 4-H.
“You learn life skills, you learn so much responsibility and it just helps me prepare myself for life,” she said. “And, of course, all the friends you make throughout the County Fair and the State Fair. You’ll meet people later on in life that you will be able to tie yourself into because they were in 4-H, too.”