As Twilight Parade marshals, state FFA leaders bring ag to the forefront

For the record, Thursday did mark Thaddeus Bergschneider's first time being the grand marshal of a parade, one that left him pinching himself.

"I'm looking at all of the cars and the people who are lined up," said the 18-year-old President of the Illinois FFA, prior to the start of the Illinois State Fair Twilight Parade, "and I can't believe I'm a grand marshal of it. It really makes me proud to be a part of Illinois FFA and a part of the industry of agriculture that's put us here and that's valued. That says a lot."

Bergschneider, a graduate of Franklin High School, shared the spotlight with the other state FFA officers, riding atop a Ford Bronco in the parade that included large contingent of floats, local, county and state politicians, marching bands and color guard, firetrucks and police vehicles.

Gov. JB Pritzker participated in the parade. Earlier Thursday, he helped cut the ceremonial ribbon at the Main Gate.

State Fair: Five Grand Central Stage acts at the Illinois State Fair you won't want to miss

Thursday marked the first full day of the fair, which runs through Aug. 20.

This is the sixth year the parade has stepped off from Lincoln Park. It proceeded east on Sangamon Avenue toward the fairgrounds’ Main Gate. Its old starting point was at Ninth Street and North Grand Avenue.

Jason and Brandy Fletcher were among the first-time parade entrants.

The couple owns and operate B's Creative Studio, 1305 W. Wabash Ave. As the art superintendents for the fair, they are in charge of the art competition in the Expo Building.

"We teach classes (at the studio) for a variety of things, from painting to stained glass to crushed glass," Brandy Fletcher said. "So we wanted to make the float the classroom (with paint easels and other decorative supplies)."

The studio is presenting "Paint Night Experience" at the Artisans Building at 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

It's a chance, Brandy Fletcher said, for people to have fun and "explore that creative side of them."

There is an adults' version and a kids' version of the painting experience, she said. The painting on a different variety of media is themed around the state fair.

About 40 to 50 people from the Hope School community were expected to ride on its float, including kids from its residential program, vocational youth and kids and families from the Autism Clinic, said Rebecca Murphy, the director for the school's outreach and case coordination.

Hope is a school for children facing extraordinary cognitive, physical and emotional challenges.

About 10 to 12 people from its recreation team, she said, constructed the float which featured a multi-colored infinity symbol with the words "celebrate" and "embrace."

"There are a lot of people who need services and there's at least a place for them to call and get information," Murphy pointed out. "Our kids are in the community and people are becoming really accepting and aware of that, so it's really nice."

This is also the first year the fair has partnered with Hope and Springfield Clinic and Serve Illinois to launch "Sunflower Hours," which includes a silent dance party at the Grand Central Stage and rides in the carnival Midway and Adventure Village which will be operating without bright lights and loud sounds, all on Saturday morning.

The partnership has extended to The Sensory Station for individuals and families who need help processing the sights, smells, noises and crowds of the fair. It is located in the Emmerson Building and is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Bergschneider, who grew up on a fourth-generation farm in Franklin about 35 miles southwest of Springfield, said he is driving home the point that agriculture is important, whatever kids' backgrounds.

"If you don't want to be involved in ag as a career, you need to know where your food comes, where your fuel comes from, where your clothes come from," he said.

Membership in FFA has nearly doubled, Bergschneider added, not just because the state Department of Agriculture is footing membership dues so any student who is in an ag class then becomes a part of FFA, but because schools who are starting ag programs are realizing how important it is that students learn ag, even if they're not going to find a career in the field.

An ag degree nowadays, he said, can catapult students way past farming or careers in sales or marketing.

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Bergschneider, who taking a gap year before enrolling at Purdue University, is leaning towards an ag economics degree. He did his senior project on U.S. reliance on China for ag products.

"What really interests me about that," Bergschneider said, "is seeing ag on an economic level nationwide and locally and seeing how trade works with grain or any other commodity."

Ag Day Breakfast canceled

The Ag Day Breakfast Friday was cancelled out of an abundance of caution due to impending weather.

The National Weather Service in Lincoln was predicting storms with strong winds Friday morning.

The breakfast was scheduled to be held on the Director's Lawn, said Jerry Costello II, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Breakfast attendees can stop by the Ag Tent from 8 to 10 a.m. Sunday for a complimentary breakfast.

ISF Parade Run results

Dan Plunkett of Springfield was the overall winner of the two-mile Parade Run.

Plunkett completed the course in 9:53.4, outdistancing Henry Janssen of Bloomington.

Plunkett, 27, ran at Pleasant Plains and Southeast Missouri State.

Savannah Brannan, also of Springfield, turned in the top women's time of 11:38.7.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788: sspearie@sj-r.com: X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: State FFA leaders served as grand marshal for state fair parade