By Ansley Hollingsworth
Lebanan, Tenn.–This week, the Hollow Rock-Bruceton FFA Chapter attended the Tennessee FFA day at the fair in Lebanon along with 1,300 FFA members in attendance. At the beginning of the annual event, a ham breakfast was served with keynote speaker Trace Adkins. At breakfast, the chapter connected with local representatives, and industry professionals including Knox County’s Mayor Glen Jacobs, TN Department of Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt, UTIA Senior Leader Keith Carver, and various members of the Tennessee State FFA Staff and state officers. This opportunity gave the girls a chance to get their faces in the public eye.
Members: Madison Campbell, Taylor Walters, and Cadence Guinn participated in the grill master competition, where they prepared and presented two specially made ribeyes in homemade marinade with a side of cowboy caviar. Later, the grill team was recognized on the state FFA Facebook page for their creative and delicious dishes.
Accompanying the grill master team, Allie Paschall competed in the prepared public speaking contest against 33 other individuals. In honor of the organization’s agricultural focus, the topic for the speech was Advocating for Agriculture. Following the contest, she said this about the event, “The speaking competition was very tough because there were a lot of competitors, however, you must take on an adventure. I am so happy to have gotten the chance to compete.” After the teams finished their competitions, the members toured the fair exhibits, livestock arenas, and Pick TN product display. The journey the officers took proved to be an amazing and informative opportunity.