2023 was an amazing year for Jonestown-area siblings Crystal and Chloe Bomgardner.
Crystal had the honor of being the 2023-24 president of Pennsylvania FFA while Chloe, who just replaced her older sister in mid-June as 2024-25 state president, was the 2023 Pennsylvania State Fair Queen, a role she cherished but relinquished in late January.
During an interview to discuss the passing of the FFA torch from one sibling to another, LebTown also recapped their 2023-24 accomplishments in their prior roles as FFA state president for Crystal and Chloe’s reign as state fair queen.
Read More: Bomgardner sisters achieve FFA state record, set sights on national convention
As might be expected, both felt mixed emotions as their year-long tenures were ending.
The sisters live with their parents, Corwin and Tara Bomgardner, and eight siblings on Jonestown Road about a mile east of Ono. An older brother is married and lives off the farm.
“In January is actually when a lot of it picked up because we had (PA) Farm Show for 10 days, came home for two days and then I went and checked into the hotel for the fair queen competition,” said Chloe. “I was just really busy enough to not think about it ending. I had already kind of processed that in the months before because it was kind of dead in winter and there weren’t any fairs to attend. Then at Farm Show, having that last opportunity to serve and represent the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs was definitely special, but it was bittersweet knowing that the next week I would give my title up to somebody else.”
Crystal, who plans to transfer to Penn State Harrisburg this fall to major in political science, also found herself focused on what’s to come next. Not only will she attend college this fall, but she has the chance to become a national FFA officer at the national convention in October.
“I think the question of what the next chapter looks like is the biggest thing that came to mind,” said Crystal, who previously told LebTown she is a firm believer in seizing every opportunity presented to her. “I’m trying to decide what major I’ll take in college, because I’m definitely going back to college, the where and all the details and different things that are associated with that were on my mind.”
Both also kept reminding themselves that their terms lasted one year and that others waited in the wings to fill those roles.
“Like Crystal had actually recently said, it’s a year of service, and you know it’s a year of service, so you know eventually it’s going to end,” added Chloe. “It’s special to look back at the memories you made and the impacts you’ve made within the community and the state. But it is also special knowing that somebody else is going to have that opportunity that you had the year before.”
“I think you come to the point where you’re ready to see the next team succeed and you’re ready to kind of see who it is and make that transition,” said Crystal about the state FFA.
Both logged some pretty incredible statistics during their journeys.
Chloe traveled 7,600 miles last year while visiting 32 county and community fairs and about 12 other non-fair but ag-related events. During her travels, she accumulated around 5,000 photos that were shot by her siblings, including a sister she said is a passionate photographer.
Crystal said she visited 104 of the 157 PA-based FFA chapters, spent 170 nights in hotels and logged another 70 day trips as state FFA president, as captured in her video diary of her presidency.
Numbers aside, both made some special memories that will last a lifetime.
“One of my broader memories that I have is all of the people I made friends with and will be friends with for years to come, especially with those individuals who live along the Ohio border,” said Chloe.
Crystal had two memories come to mind. One was one she tripped over a cord and fell onto the floor while wearing her official FFA dress, which she said elicited both laughter and humility. The other was the many people she met from around the United States and Puerto Rico during the 2023 national FFA convention.
LebTown asked Crystal if she had accomplished her personal goal of helping to grow the FFA. Although the state FFA currently has one charter school that is brick and mortar, the state organization is exploring the possibility of adding more to its rolls in the coming years.
“FFA has received a request for the first online school, and one of the things we did was give our input on whether or not we felt that it should be approved,” said Crystal, who was homeschooled and attended public school. “I got to speak on behalf of homeschooling because it helped us become the people we are today. To see that come full circle is a special experience and to see that (issue) come down the pike. I laid it all on the table and left my heart on the floor.”
Chloe also achieved her goal of bringing greater exposure to agriculture by visiting a record number of fairs during her reign and meeting numerous people who, in some cases, don’t know the source of the food they eat.
Both said their paths crossed during the past year, including at Farm City Day in Harrisburg, which is a learning experience for urban-based youths, Ag Progress Days and, of course, the Pennsylvania Farm Show.
Together, they relish their roles as “advocates for agriculture,” which includes educating others about the industry.
One such learning moment is when Crystal told two young people sitting close to her at the state Farm Show that the goats that they thought were cute were actually llamas.
The sisters will continue to have opportunities to be ag ambassadors well beyond their former roles since Crystal is a national FFA candidate and Chloe is the current president of the state FFA.
Crystal’s future plans include majoring in political science at Penn State Harrisburg with a goal of being elected as a state legislator, where she hopes she would be assigned to serve on either the House or Senate’s Agriculture Committee given her deep knowledge and experiences in agriculture.
If she is chosen to serve on the National FFA team for a year during the national convention this fall, she plans to take a gap semester at Penn State Harrisburg to fulfill those duties, which include traveling across the nation to visit FFA chapters in other states.
Chloe plans to study large animal science with a pre-vet track at Oklahoma State University in the fall of 2025 and then begin agricultural education as a dual major in her sophomore year. Additionally, she plans to apply for OSU’s College of Agriculture Science Scholar program, a position she would keep throughout her time in Oklahoma.
There are, of course, other reasons why the sisters serve that go beyond agricultural advocacy.
“I’ve had people message me on social media saying how impactful maybe a speech was or maybe just taking time to sit down with somebody at their school and just eat lunch with them as a state officer,” said Crystal. “And you don’t always realize the impact that your actions or your words hold. You may never even see that in this lifetime, but it’s what you do with this life and what you do with the talents that God has given you to touch other people and to use these opportunities to serve and not only serve, but to grow who you are as a person and just become the best version of yourself.”
Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Free news isn’t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.
More Top Stories
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
