Blue Bridge Boys Named the Newest FFA Talent Winner
Each year, hundreds of applicants apply to the National FFA Talent competition.
This year, a bluegrass band called the Blue Bridge Boys took home the first-place prize.
“I’m amazed because everybody was so talented,” band member Levi Hausner says. “We can’t believe we made this far; we’re so thankful. It’s just been a great opportunity.”
The Blue Bridge Boys are from the Daviess County FFA chapter in Kentucky. In June, the band won first place at the Kentucky FFA Talent Show.
The band emphasized that their goal is to make their hometown and state proud.
“Knowing that we’re out here and that we get to just show off Kentucky because Owensboro, where we’re from, is the bluegrass capital of the world, so to be able to play bluegrass and win with bluegrass is everything for us,” band member Noah Mason says.
After going through the competitive application process, the band went through a selection process followed by multiple elimination rounds at the 99th national FFA Convention & Expo.
Through this process, the band learned that self-assurance is key when it comes to standing out at a competition like this.
“Honestly believe in yourself because I feel like sometimes you can doubt and I [you have to] be confident,” says band member Cruse Edwards.
While the band is going home with the biggest prize, they are also going back to Kentucky with a week’s worth of memories.
“Everybody was so nice praying before we go on stage or just jamming upstairs. [There are] so many great acts and they’re great people too,” Hausner says. “Everybody was so supportive, win or lose. We would have been so happy to go home and have all those relationships and have all these fun times,” Edwards adds.
For FFA members who are interested in future FFA Talent auditions, the Blue Bridge Boys explained that being comfortable trying new things is crucial.
“Experiment, always experiment, because we’ve had some experiences that sound terrible and we’ve had some that have really shaped us as friends and as a band. You just learn a lot about each other and how you think and that really helps you grow as musicians,” Hausner says.
