Sisters girl earns 4-H scholarship

First-year 4-H member Lindsay Soliz, 14, came home from the Deschutes County Fair with more than a passel of ribbons. She was the recipient of a Ralph McNulty Production Animal Scholarship, an award that puts her $800 closer to finding an ideal registered heifer.

The scholarship, based on the applicant's 4-H record book and an interview, consists of $600 from the Ralph McNulty Scholarship, and $200 from a group called "Ralph's Angels," a group of donors. Terry Burgess, of Sisters' Sno-Cap Drive In, is one of the sponsors of the scholarship.

Soliz is involved in three 4-H projects. One is called Teen Staff and is a leadership program. She has a horse, and is the president of the Terrebonne Troopers horse club. Her beef project, a heifer calf this year, is part of a Redmond club called Beef Barn Busters.

The Ralph McNulty scholarship requires her to find a production heifer in time for next year's Deschutes County Fair, and that the animal be shown for two years at the fair.

The interview with McNulty, a long-time administrator and supporter of 4-H, consisted of a series of questions that ranged from serious to lighthearted, said Soliz.

"He wanted to know about my projects and made sure I knew how to take care of a production animal," she said.