The fair goes pop! Star Wars, Marvel, Lego inspire future creators

Josh Flynn, Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, Ind.
·2 min read

Jul. 14—The Cass County 4-H Fair wasn't just all about cattle, swine and other animals. Plenty of 4-H participants brought some pop culture flare to the show when it came to the creative categories on display in the community center.

First there were the Lego exhibits. So much Lego. Over 50 Lego dioramas were on display.

Jeffrey Mills, in his 10th and final 4-H fair advanced to the state fair, with his diorama that depicted a "Star Wars" battle on Tatooine, complete with an Imperial ship swerving into the sand and rebels fighting stormtroopers to get inside a base.

There was a lot of "Stars Wars" in the Lego exhibits. There were also other pop culture entities. Rowen Beck, in his first 4-H competition, made an Enderman from "Minecraft." It stood several inches high with purple eyes that glared from its black body.

Brentley Trya brought a much more pleasant creation made from Lego in the form of a bright yellow Minion from the popular children's films.

Marvel superheroes were also popular at this year's fair. Not only did they appear in some Lego exhibits, but Kaden Benner, a sophomore in his first 4-H competition, created a Spider-Man scarecrow, complete with long gold legs as seen in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

Kathryn Rodey, a sophomore in her eighth year of 4-H, displayed a drawing of Spider-Man hanging from a wall.

Chloe Wines, a sixth grader, exhibited her collection of Funko Pop, small plastic figurines with giant heads and large black eyes. Her collection featured many "Star Wars" characters and some Marvel heroes as well.

In her written exhibit statement, Wines said, "I started collecting because my dad started collecting and I thought they were cool so I did."

Osten Cunningham wasn't buying into the "Make mine Marvel" slogan Stan Lee had peddled for many decades. The fifth grader, in his first 4-H fair, displayed a painted Batman insignia and a collection of DC Comics figurines.

Other pop culture items included a painting of the Demogorgon from "Stranger Things" by Bristol Hawkins, a drawing of the late basketball star Kobe Bryant by Adam Rush and a clay Pikachu, the adorable yellow creature from "Pokemon," by Mollie Bruner.