Lukas Aylesworth - third from left

Logan County 4-H member Lukas Aylesworth selected as master showman at Illinois State Fair

[August 23, 2017]    The 2017 Master Showmanship Contest was held on August 11 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Fifty-six exhibitors, winners of their respective county contests, competed for the title of “Illinois Master Showman”.

Exhibitors were judged on their handling of each of three species of animals; beef, sheep and swine and also quizzed by the judges on their knowledge of animal husbandry and livestock production. One winner was named for each species and scores for all three species were tallied to determine the overall winner. Over $8,000 worth of prizes donated by sponsors were given away to the winners and all participants.

This year’s contest winners were:

Overall Master Showman – Lukas Aylesworth from Mt. Pulaski representing Logan County. He is the son of Rick and Debby Aylesworth and a member of the Topper 4-H club.

Second Place Overall - Mackenzie Burgin from Paris representing Edgar County. She is the daughter of Dee Burgin and Lisa Spillman Burgin.

Third Place Overall – Lucas Wisnefski from Wyoming representing Stark County. He is the son of Jeff and Laurie Wisnefski.

Beef Division – Mackenzie Burgin from Paris representing Edgar County. She is the daughter of Dee Burgin and Lisa Spillman Bonen.

Sheep Division – Edward N. “E.N.” Hanson IV from Clifton representing Iroquois County. He is the son of Ed and Tasha Hanson.

Swine Division - Adrian Austin from Mt. Vernon representing Marion County. She is the daughter of Steve & Holly Austin.

This year marked the 18th Annual Master Showmanship Contest held at the Illinois State Fair. This year's contest was coordinated by the Illinois Farm Bureau and RFD Radio Network. Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert, Jr. presented the awards. Congratulations to these outstanding young livestock exhibitors!

About 4-H: Illinois 4-H strives to help youth learn skills for living. University of Illinois Extension provides 4-H programs in every county in Illinois. Illinois 4-H aims to impact the lives of 200,000 youth each year through sustained learning clubs and groups and short-term programming.

[Patty Huffer]