On Saturday morning of the 125th annual Rainy River Valley Agricultural Fall Fair, board president Sheri Hay formally announced that Alexis Latter had won the Fair’s first ever Fair Ambassador competition.
Latter is a student heading into Grade 12 at Fort Frances High School. She says she found out she had been selected as Fair Ambassador while at her summer job, working with kids at a day camp.
“I was at my work, and I work with children, so immediately once I found out I was telling all my kids,” she said, taking a break from her busy day at the fair Saturday afternoon.
“They were asking ‘when are you going to be there?’ and ‘Can I go on rides with you?’ It was really, really great.”
Latter says she dreamed of being the Fair Queen ever since she was the Mini Queen as a child and when the format changed she was happy to apply to become the ambassador.
“When I was younger, I was able to be the Mini Queen, and ever since then, I was dreaming of being fair queen,” she said.
“But I thought once this program came out, it was a perfect opportunity, because I really wanted to be more a part of the fair. And with this, I’m able to, like, go all around the fair and help with everything.”
In an effort to modernize the program and be more inclusive, the Fair Queen competition was changed to the Fair Ambassador program which invited applicants of all stripes to apply. The application process included a form, an essay, and an interview.
“It was a very good application process,” Latter said.
“You just had to fill out a Google form just with your information, and then some questions about why you want to do this. Then you just have to write a 1,000 to 2,000 word essay about, why you want to do this, why you think you’d be good, and something you’re passionate about. And then after that, there was an interview. So you had to do an interview in front of three judges, where they asked you 10 questions, just about like the fair and why you want to be a part of this. And then after that is when I got the email about becoming fair Ambassador.”
One of Latter’s first official duties as Fair Ambassador was to interview the candidates for Mini King and Queen.
“My favourite part was today, I got to interview the Mini Kings and Queens and that was my favourite part because I love working with kids,” she said.
“They were all adorable and gave super cute answers. They picked a great king and queen and they are absolutely adorable.”
Demonstrating some interest in agriculture was considered an asset for the program, and while Latter wasn’t raised on a farm, she says she’s always been interested in horses.
“I used to take horseback riding lessons as a kid, and I always love coming and looking at the horse barn. I love coming and watching the horse shows every year,” she said.
“I mentioned this in my interview as well. Every single time I come to the fair, I think I learn something new about the agriculture and just like a part of our community and where we come from, I think that’s what one of the parts I love most about the fair is, just like it really makes me appreciate where we live and like what we do as a community.”
Latter says her favourite fair treat is a blue raspberry lemonade and said she’d already enjoyed a burger from the 4-H food booth as well. She also has a sweet tooth and likes fair classics like snow cones and cotton candy.
Other fair duties included riding with the Mini King and Queen in the fair parade and drawing the winners of the fair draw. Latter also sang ‘O, Canada’ to open up the stock car races Saturday Evening.
As indicated on the Fair website, part of the duties of the Fair Ambassador will be to represent the fair throughout the year and speak about the ambassador program. So the next time you see her out and about, don’t hesitate to ask Alexis about her experience.
