2015 LOGAN COUNTY FAIR LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com August 2-9, 2015 page 191
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the state to receive the scholarship that covered the
conference fee,” she said. “Our local FFA chapter’s
alumni association covered the rest, which paid for my
transportation. It was an amazing experience.”
Aylesworth admits that she “enjoys everything about
FFA” and that “Mr. Allen motivates me to want to
always give 100 percent.” Aylesworth added, “Being
able to learn about different livestock has given me
more confidence to enter the Master Showman contest
with our county 4-H.”
The horse and dog lover also mentions parents, Randy
and Kelly Ayleswoth, who have always offered their
support. “My parents have bent over backwards
to make sure I can devote so much time to what I
love to do. I wanted to be in FFA since probably
6th grade, watching my cousins Dustin and Chase
Aylesworth enjoy it so much.” Those older cousins
have since graduated from the U of I and landed jobs
in agriculture.
Meanwhile Lukas Aylesworth, younger cousin to
Kamryn and brother to Dustin and Chase, is enjoying
his summer on the farm with his pigs and he called
the state convention “a great experience.” He credits
Mr. Allen with teaching him about the feeding of his
treasured swine this past year in school. “This year,
in particular, we learned a lot about feeding and the
protein levels and the fiber levels and certain types
of feed, which I believe that has helped me with my
pigs. It’s helped me to understand what the types of
feed that we are feeding them does to certain parts of
their bodies,” said Aylesworth, who also serves as the
Mount Pulaski FFA Chapter treasurer.
Lukas also cited how learning to judge livestock his
freshman year has helped him pick out his animals and
enabled him to see what can be done to improve the
animals. Aylesworth, who will be showing his pigs at
the Logan County Fair this week, lists family as a big
influence in his love for FFA and the fair as well. “My
Uncle Randy (Awe) and my cousins Cole and Jessica,
they have always been really big role models for
me. They’ve always shown pigs for as long as I can
remember and I always wanted to be just like them.
Lukas also mentioned his parents as being great
support and his younger brother, Clay, is a big help
with the pigs as well. “I’m just blessed with a good
family,” said the smiling brother, who is the third son
of Rick and Debby Aylesworth. Mom Debby also
happens to the leader of the Topper 4-H Club.
It’s a family affair come Logan County Fair time
when the Aylesworth family takes the camper and
spends the week at the fair. “Always a good time. It’s
a blast,” said Lukas of the camping experience at the
fairgrounds.
The sixteen-year-old even has a favorite memory from
the fair that, of course, involves pigs. “I think they
still do this, but there was a class where you “weighed-
out” if your pigs weighed too much to show in, so they
showed in a class called the Super Heavy. I always
liked that. I have no idea why. I guess ‘cause they’re
just the biggest. But I remember one year before I was
old enough to show in the 4-H show I showed in that
class and I won it. I was just tickled.”
Another Mount Pulaski FFA member who has tons
of experience and many fond memories of the Logan
County Fair is Ashlyn Hickey. It’s safe to say that
Hickey, who is a veteran of cattle shows at only
sixteen-years old, has been around agriculture her
entire life. She has spent the summer competing in
cattle shows, continuing her record books, washing
