by

Richie Hall

Hamilton County Reporter

The theme of this year’s Hamilton County 4-H Queen Pageant
was “An Evening in Paris” – appropriate for Bastille Day, n’est-ce
pas?

At the end of Friday’s pageant, there was considerable joie de
vivre from Chloe Mills. The Cicero 10-year member of the Harey
Hoppers was crowned as Hamilton County 4-H Queen for 2017. Mills’
name has now been added to the honor roll of 4-H Queens, which
dates back to 1961.

“I was shocked and excited and so happy,” said Mills, 18, a Cicero
resident who will be a freshman at Purdue University this fall.

There were 16 queen contestants at this year’s pageant, which
took place at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds. The contestants
all did interviews with the judges earlier Friday afternoon. At the
pageant, the contestants modeled professional wear and evening
wear, and were asked an impromptu question by Mistress of
Ceremonies Mary Beth Riley.

“It was very nerve-wracking with the interview with the judges,”
said Mills. But once she and the other contestants got on stage,
Mills said the pageant “went by really fast” and was very easy-going.

Mills’ impromptu question revealed her favorite school subject,
which many people don’t find easy-going: Math. Mills said she
enjoys math “because I love challenging myself, and there’s always
one way to do it, and that’s math.”

Mills said she also enjoyed meeting the other contestants,
noting that they were people she wouldn’t have met if she hadn’t
participated in the Queen Pageant.

“They were all so sweet,” said Mills. “We’ve all been friends. I’m
very excited to be friends with them after the fair.”

“The whole pageant experience was wonderful,” said Mills. “I
loved every second of it. It’s very educational and it prepares you for so much
more in life with the interview.”

Mills and her court will be a major presence at the 4-H Fair, which runs from
July 20-24 this year. The other members of the court include:

–First runner-up: Viktoria Mills, 16, Westfield, of Carmel 4-C’s

–Second runner-up: Emma Swain, 17, of Sheridan Ag

–Third runner-up: Rebeca Hayes, 17, Noblesville, of Forest Hill

–Fourth runner-up: Ashlyn Robertson, 16, of Progressive Farmers

–Miss Congeniality: Crystal Xue, 17, of Carmel 4-C’s

“It’s such a great honor, particularly because it’s the peers that vote for you,” said
Xue. “So it’s truly a testament to their greatness and how well that they performed.”

Xue enjoyed the Queen Pageant experience as well.

“I absolutely loved it,” she said. “It taught me so much about being confident in
myself and learning new things, and of course being open.”

Right before the 2017 queen was announced, 2016 queen Rachel Adams
spoke to the crowd. In addition, Phyllis Davis entertained the crowd with some
piano selections while the judges were making their decision. This was her 50th
pageant.