• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Alice in Dairyland finalists announced

JANESVILLE — The Alices have arrived, and that’s good news for Rock County.

On Friday, the final candidates for the state’s agriculture ambassador position, Alice in Dairyland, were announced at a press conference at Rotary Botanical Gardens.

Six young women were selected. They are: Christa Behnke, Clintonville; Andrea Bloom, Loyal; Christine (Lepple) Lindner, Fall River; Sheri Nelson, East Troy; Katie Reichling, Darlington; and Rochelle Ripp, Lodi.

After the announcement of the candidates, local business people and officials toured Seneca Foods and MacFarlane Pheasants, two businesses that are crucial parts of the county’s $1.1 billion agribusiness base.

That base is part of the reason Rock County was picked to host the semifinals and finals of the Alice program.

“The Ag Business Council of Rock County was brainstorming for ways to bring Rock County—and our members—into the spotlight,” said Sandy Larson, co-chair of the Rock County Alice in Dairyland committee.

They applied for the host job and were accepted by the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

From May 20 to 22, all of the potential Alices will be in Rock County, touring the area, talking to residents and displaying their public relations skills.

Alice usually travels more than 40,000 miles a year throughout the state and the nation. Her primary job is to promote Wisconsin agriculture.

“She’s promoting all of agriculture, not just dairy,” Larson said. “It’s everything from Christmas trees to cranberries.”

Alice also spends a lot of time in fourth grade classrooms, talking about food, farming and agriculture.

This year’s Alice will be learning a lot about Rock County during those three days in May.

“We’ll be highlighting what we have to offer, from Evansville to Beloit, Clinton to Milton,” Larson said.

“There’s a lot of things in our backyard that we take for granted.”

Rock County will get more than a public relations boost.

The Alice contest will probably bring in about $30,000 in hotel stays and other spending, said Christine Rebout, executive director of the Janesville Convention and Visitors Bureau.