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Molly Prudden presents her
car rebuilding project to judge Deb Laine at the South St. Louis
County Fair Tuesday afternoon.
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Molly Prudden turns 1966 Corvair into
4-H fair project
Anna Kurth
Budgeteer News
Last
Updated: Friday, August 11th, 2006 10:57:12 AM
Molly
Prudden turned 16 this summer, but her 40-year-old car just isn’t ready
for the road.
Prudden is rebuilding her 1966 Monza Corvair at home. Even though she
has the engine running, the car had to be brought on a trailer to the
South St. Louis County Fair this week because it has no lights or
blinkers.
The Corvair is one of a plethora of exhibits by 4-H members on display
through Sunday, Aug. 13, at the Industrial Building of the St. Louis
County Fairgrounds.
Prudden’s car is a self-determined project, which is a category in which
the student decides what the project will be. Luke Israel, 11,
presented a sled he built as a self-determined project. The sled is
designed to go fast, but is padded to prevent injury if the rider hits a
stump or other bump going down the hill. Israel said personal
experience inspired him to invent his sled. Prudden was inspired
to rebuild her car by her father and brothers, who have all rebuilt
their own Corvairs. “My father is heavily into Corvairs,” Prudden
said. “He has a car that he shows at national level.”
When Prudden told her father she wanted a car, he pointed to one that
had been sitting in the yard for years and said, “There it is. Do the
work; it’s yours,” she said. Prudden has done the work — all
of it. Her father owns all the parts and tells her what she’ll have to
do next and shows her how to do it. Then Prudden gets to work on her
car. “He shows me ways to do it, then I have to do it,” she said.
“That’s why it’s taken so long. ... I didn’t know anything about cars
before starting this project.”
Most 4-H members’ projects follow the same lines as Prudden’s project.
They pick a topic they’re interested in and work on and study it all
year, said Valerie Coit, South St. Louis County 4-H program coordinator.
“The point of the fair is for them to share their hard work,” Coit said.
“Judging gives them a chance to talk to someone about what they’ve
learned.”
The children don’t compete against each other. They are judged on their
presentation and their knowledge. Often a child will do a project in the
same field each year, gradually becoming an expert in that topic, Coit
said. Prudden’s mother, Patty Prudden, said she is hoping her
daughter will become an expert in her Corvair. “When she drives
it, she’ll know which fender gave her the most trouble,” Patty Prudden
said. “She will know how to fix it if anything breaks down.”
Prudden first showed her car at the fair last year. She is showing the
car in chapters. She takes photos of her progress and keeps track of the
work she’s done. Chapter 1 included ripping out the interior and
sanding down the car to get it ready to rebuild.
Last year, Prudden’s car was grand champion at the South St. Louis
County Fair. She then took the car to the Minnesota State Fair where it
received a blue ribbon. This year’s Chapter 2 included finishing
the body work, priming the car for painting and installing the engine.
Prudden said she plans to continue showing the car at the fair each year
until she has it restored.
“It’s one of those projects that’s always ongoing,” she said. “I hope to
have it at a car show some day and have it respectable looking.”
The car is just one of Prudden’s fair projects. The teenager is showing
14 projects this year between chickens, rabbits, youth leadership, etc.
Prudden has a project in just about every category at the fair. She is
also the South St. Louis County 4-H Federation president. Prudden
is a good example of what 4-H can do for children. She has learned
speaking and leadership skills through the program, Coit said. Not
all 4-H members get as involved in the fair as Prudden. Some aren’t
involved in the fair at all, Coit said.
Children can join 4-H when they are in kindergarten. They are Clover
Buds until they are in the third grade and can bring anything they want
to the fair. In the fourth grade, children are considered 4-Hers and
compete in categories. In sixth grade the 4-Hers have the opportunity to
compete with the possibility of going to the state fair.
Prudden’s car, Israel’s sled and all 4-H and open class exhibits will be
on display through Sunday, Aug., 13, when the exhibits will be released
at 7:30 p.m.
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