Twilight Parade wraps up day one of Illinois State Fair

Posted on August 9, 2024
(l-r) Illinois Agriculture director Jerry Costello, Lt Gov Juliana Stratton, Illinois State Fair grand marshal Avani Rai, Gov. JB Pritzker. (Dave Dahl/WJBC)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois 4-Hers are the grand marshals of the 2024 Illinois State Fair.

Avani Rai, who is about to be a sophomore at Harvard, says 4-H has kept her busy, and the organization is not exclusively about farming.

“This past year, I got to serve as one of four national spokespeople for the organization,” said Rai. “As a youth advocacy member, I was able to really, really get involved with the fact that 4-H is a beautiful intersection of so many different things, from STEM to healthy living to agriculture to civic engagement. And that’s what 4-H is all about: giving youth as many opportunities as possible to find their passion in whatever they’re interested in.”

Rai, a 2023 graduate of Normal Community High School, is studying economics and statistics on a pre-law track and is also working with a food policy clinic at Harvard Law School.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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