The Fairview FFA had another amazing year at the 97th-annual National Convention! Nine members, including the whole officer team and an extra member, attended the trip. They got up early on Wednesday October 23 and headed down to Indianapolis. On the way down they decided to make some stops and go on some tours. They started at Ozark Fishery and were able to see their amazing facility where they raise fish and sell them all over the world! They were also able to touch the fish and see all the different types of goldfish they raised.
They then headed off to Grandpa Joe’s Horse Back Riding Trails, each could ride either a mule or horse and headed out as a group to ride the trials. To say the least, it was one of their favorites and made convention a little more memorable.
As soon as they finished with horseback riding they were off to Hunters Honey Farm were they got the chance to fill their own honey bear containers with their homemade honey and see exactly how they make and package their honey. Before they left they got some fun pictures and then were on the way to the convention center for check-in! The bus was loaded once again to head to the Laney Wilson concert! The members had a blast jamming out to her songs on the way to the concert and had an even better time jamming out the music in person!
Just as the night of the first official day of National Convention warped up, day two was underway. They went to opening session bright and early in the morning and were able to her Kevin Wanzer talk about living life to the fullest and have fun! After opening session they were able to go to the shopping and career center. At the career center the teacher Miss Nagel gave out a scavenger hunt to complete! The girls group was able to complete almost all of it and then was able to go shopping! After shopping part one, it was off to the food trucks out in front of the Lucas oil stadium for some lunch. They ended up going back to the shopping center and filled the afternoon with shopping and having fun.
After the shopping adventure they headed upstairs to watch a hypnotist showing! The hypnotist name was Michael C Anthony. He invited a few of the member from the crowd to participate and to say the least we saw some crazy things happen! Day two was relaxing as well as fun but we still had two more days to get through!
On day three there was a morning session featuring Temple Grandin who is an American academic, inventor, and ethologist. She is a prominent proponent of the humane treatment of livestock for slaughter and the author of more than 60 scientific papers on animal behavior. Then they were off to two tours that involved popcorn and engines.
The first stop was to Not Just Popcorn in a cute little town outside of Indianapolis where they got to see how they made the popcorn and what the process is like. When the tour was done they were able to shop around and see all of there different flavors.
They then headed off to Cumins Engine factory! They received a small tour and was shown how they make the engine, what they do and how they are tested. The boys were super excited for this tour but the girls got a little bored but made it through! Once the tour was finished they headed to the Rodeo! Some members got to sit on a bull and take some pictures and where able to meet some of the riders before they rode. After the rodeo they were pretty hungry so Miss Nagel took them to Olive Garden for some pasta and breadsticks!
On the final day of the National Convention they headed off to closing session/American Degree Ceremony! They watched as Carrie Zeedyk walked across the stage to receive her American Degree and cheered her on and got pictures with her after words to congratulate her once again! On the way home from Indianapolis they all slept basically the whole way back but while awake all they could talk about was what an amazing time they had. This is always a huge trip the FFA Officer team and one other special member that gets an opportunity to go is able to take. Not only does it make memories that will last forever but they also come closer as a team. Friends are made with members from other states and always laugh about the memories that are made. A shout outgoes to the Fairview FFA Chapter for pitching in money to make this possible and for the advisor, Miss Nagel, for being a chaperone and making this whole trip possible! Another huge congratulation to Carrie Zeedyk in receiving her American Degree! We appreciate everyone for everything and it’s safe to say it was another great year at the 2024 97th annual National Convention and Expo.
