Fair Queen Bowling to compete for Miss Indiana State Fair this weekend

Having been crowned 2018 Putnam County Fair Queen last July, Raegan Bowling will now vie for the title of 2019 Indiana State Fair Queen. The three-day competition begins Friday, with the public portion of the competition beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

INDIANAPOLIS — Putnam County Fair Queen Raegan Bowling will be in competition with 91 other young women from around the state this weekend.

Bowling and the rest of the 2018 county fair queens will be at the State Fairgrounds seeking the title of 2019 Indiana State Fair Queen.

Though the public will get its first glance at the candidates on Saturday, the competition actually begins with judge interviews on Friday.

Public preliminary judging will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The finals will follow at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

General admission tickets each day are $10, with kids five and younger for free. All seating is first-come, first-served.

The daughter of Jim Bowling and Michele Long, Raegan is a 2016 graduate of North Putnam High School and a student at the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Lafayette.

Bowling is a former 10-year 4-H member who showed swine for 10 years, beef cattle for six as well as two years each of cakes and photography.

The newly-crowned queen reflected fondly on her summer as well as her nine fellow candidates last July.

“I worked hard for it — we all did this summer,” Bowling said. “I feel like I made some new best friends this summer. It was such a competitive group, it could’ve been anyone.”

Now she has the chance to do it all again, only this time with a lot more potential new best friends.

The Indiana State Fair Queen will reign over the 17 days of the 2019 Indiana State Fair from Friday, Aug. 2, through Sunday, Aug. 18.