Five members of the Owen-Withee FFA Chapter traveled to the Wisconsin State Fair Park near Milwaukee August 13–16 to perform with the 2026 Wisconsin FFA Honors Choir and Band. Angela Baures, Emmy Ruppert, Myles Stephens, and Sam Young were members of the band and Leah Wojcik was the only member of the Owen-Withee FFA Chapter in choir. In total, the choir performed nine concerts, while the band performed 10.
Performing at the State Fair was an amazing opportunity for all five. For Sam and Leah, this was their first year performing in the FFA Honors Ensembles, while the others have multiple years of experience already.
“I wanted to join because I thought of it as a learning opportunity for my development in music. I also thought it would be fun and a nice thing to talk about when I’m older. I made lots of friends, so it was worth it!” — Sam Young, Alto Sax
“I wanted to join the FFA Honors Choir for the first time because this year I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone with every opportunity I got. Although I was skeptical about doing it at first, I’m so glad I did.” — Leah Wojcik, Soprano 1
“I really like the music, and it gives me opportunities to play with people on the same skill level as me. I can also experience things that I wouldn’t have normally done (i.e., State Fair and State Convention).” — Emmy Ruppert, Alto Sax
“I keep coming back to the FFA Honors Band because I think it’s a great chance for me to grow as a musician. As much as I like to complain about it, I do genuinely enjoy the challenge.” — Angela Baures, Alto Sax
Overall, all five members made new friendships, created great memories, and grew as musicians throughout the experience. They are looking forward to hopefully joining the Honors Band and Choir again next summer, pushing themselves a little farther out of their comfort zones, and continuing to grow into better versions of themselves.