Apollo High School FFA Leader Steps Into the Spotlight at Owensboro Burger Week

Owensboro Burger Week was never just about selling hamburgers. It’s bigger than that.

Restaurants across the city are slammed, with customers lined up to try the creative burgers featured during the week.

Burger Week pulls the Owensboro and Daviess County community together, introduces new visitors to Owensboro, and gives our residents another reason to enjoy the quality of life we have here.

Organized by Visit Owensboro in collaboration with the City of Owensboro, Burger Week was created to support local restaurants and their employees while building energy across the community.

This year, the event also put a young Apollo High School leader in the spotlight.

Lilli Boone is a senior at Apollo High School and already a leader in Kentucky agriculture.

She serves as President of both the Apollo FFA chapter and the Green River Region FFA.

After graduation, she plans to attend Murray State University to study agricultural education and advocacy with the goal of becoming an agricultural educator.

Local FFA students were invited to take part in the first Green River Region Burger Cookoff.

Lilli and her teammates, Christopher Stephen and Brady Dunn, won the cookoff.

As the winning team member, Lilli earned the opportunity to serve on the Owensboro Burger Week judging panel.

“I had never tried a Burger Week burger before, and I honestly didn’t realize how much work goes into them,” Lilli said.

“What these restaurants put together are absolutely unique and delicious. I’m grateful I got the opportunity to be part of the week.”

The experience gave Lilli a firsthand look at the creativity and effort local restaurants bring to the event.

“Burger Week was never about selling burgers,” said Mark Calitri, President of Visit Owensboro.

“It’s about bringing our community together and supporting the restaurants and employees who make Owensboro special.”

Calitri added, “Partnering with FFA is a great example of what makes Daviess County special.

Programs like FFA are developing the next generation of farmers, business leaders, and professionals.

Giving young leaders like Lilli the opportunity to step into the spotlight shows the real value of what Burger Week is all about.”

Organizations like the National FFA Organization continue to play an important role in developing leadership, service, and opportunity for students across Kentucky.

For one week each year, burgers bring people together in Owensboro.

This year, they also put a future farmer and community leader in the spotlight.