This week's personality: Queen Linde Hahn leads Loudonville Junior Fair Board, FFA

Jim Brewer, Ashland Times Gazette
·4 min read
Linde Hahn, a Loudonville-Perrysville High School senior, was named Ashland County Fair queen. “I don’t know how many times I had my picture taken, but the experience was rewarding and enjoyable, and very busy,” she says.
Linde Hahn, a Loudonville-Perrysville High School senior, was named Ashland County Fair queen. “I don’t know how many times I had my picture taken, but the experience was rewarding and enjoyable, and very busy,” she says.

LOUDONVILLE − Linde Hahn, a Loudonville-Perrysville High School senior, was surprised in mid-September when she was selected to reign as Ashland County Fair queen.

“I don’t know how many times I had my picture taken, but the experience was rewarding and enjoyable, and very busy,” Hahn, daughter of Evan and Kelly Hahn of rural Perrysville, said.

She has a younger sister, Clare, a Loudonville High freshman.

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“As queen, I had my picture taken with every grand champion at the fair, helped conduct a very neat children’s event at the pavilion, and helped pass out gifts for kids,” she said. “I was very surprised to be elected, and very pleased at all the compliments I received, especially on my public speaking. I work really hard at it, and it made me feel very good to have people, many of whom I did not know, tell me I did a good job with it. Some even advised me to consider a career that includes public speaking.”

Part of the reason Hahn was a candidate for queen stemmed from her involvement in FFA, 4-H and livestock raising, she said, which led to her entering animals at both the county and Loudonville fairs.

She is also playing a big role in the Loudonville Fair, serving as junior advisor of the Loudonville Junior Fair Board.

“We have 17 very excited junior fair board members, and we are already working, having conducted a skillathon recently,” she said. “During the upcoming (Oct. 4-8) fair we will do things like helping Victor Strausbaugh set up for the livestock club show and sale, setting up both the junior fair and hobby exhibits, help with livestock barn decorating, and manning the junior fair booth at the end of the cattle barn on the midway. We will help conduct the livestock club show, including assisting in lining up the animals. I did a lot of that at the Ashland fair as well. I think I helped with seven different shows there.”

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Linde Hahn: 'My plan was always to be involved as a leader'

Serving with her on the junior fair board are Hudson Endslow, Payton Brightbill, Abby Eikleberry, Natalie Endslow, Emma Lentz, Tyler Spreng, Kyler Staten, Helaina Gray, Clare Hahn, Preston Smeltzer, Laura Cutlip, Cadin Spreng, Garret Staten, Hannah Endslow, Grace Ringler and Peighton Thomas.

Hahn has been involved in leadership of the Loudonville FFA chapter since her sophomore year, serving as historian, secretary as a junior, and president this year.

“My plan was always to be involved as a leader,” she said. “Right now, we are working on recruiting new members from the eighth-grade class, including serving an ice cream lunch to them recently. We are also now busy preparing for the Loudonville Fair, as well as preparing for judging competition, which started last week with soils judging. The National FFA Convention is the last week of October, and we are taking a number of members to Indianapolis for it. We’ll have something going all through the school year, and my job as president is to keep our members involved in all of it.”

Hahn is an outstanding student, currently holding a 4.0 GPA at Loudonville High. In addition to agriculture, she is taking anatomy, college composition, government and World War II history. Next semester she’ll continue with the same, switching from World War II to Native American history.

She said she has always loved showing animals, and this coming fair will be her last time. “That’s a bittersweet feeling,” she said. “I did very well at Ashland, placing No. 2 with my pig in showmanship and weight class. I was proud of the achievement, but sad because it was my last show in Ashland.”

Her involvement in things agricultural comes through family. Her dad was active in FFA, and her mom in 4-H.

What are her future plans?

“My plan is to major in meat science or animal products, and minor in communications, probably at either Kansas State University (Manhattan, KA) or Texas Tech (Lubbock, TX),” which are rated as the top two colleges in my field,” she said. “I hope its Kansas State!”

In addition to showing livestock, she enjoys reading and hunting.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland County Fair Queen Linde Hahn leads Loudonville Jr. Fair Board