Hello and a very happy new 2011 year to all our fellow North Thompson Valley residents. It has now been four-and-a-half months since that exciting night when we were officially crowned as the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo (NTFFRA) Royalty, and we would love to share with you our experiences to date.
Our first “official” duty was to open our historic Fall Fair and Rodeo, on Labour Day weekend. How exciting this was for the three of us; and although we have to admit we were all a bit nervous we were thrilled to be given the task. The Fall Fair weekend was a busy one, selling 50/50 tickets, participating in several different events, and meeting all sorts of new and interesting people. What an exciting and educational family event this is and we are so proud to represent it.
The three of us then travelled to Peachland, B.C. in September to attend our very first out-of-town Ambassador Program. We had so much fun and made some great new friends. During our visit to Peachland we had the opportunity to visit the Parrot Island Sanctuary. What an incredible place. We learned so much about these amazing birds, such as how much care they require, and how long some of them can live. Did you know that some species of parrots can live up to 140 years? We even had the opportunity to have one of the parrots sit on our shoulder for photo opts!
We had a fun-filled weekend attending many different events and had our very first chance to get up on stage during the Ambassador Program to promote the Fall Fair and our valley. We were very nervous for this moment but we think we handled ourselves pretty well; considering we were “the new kids on the block”.
In October two of us traveled to Logan Lake to represent our valley and attend another Ambassador Program. We enjoyed the trip and were very happy to see all our newly formed friends again. We were also excited to make four new friends, three young ladies and one young man joined our ever expanding “weekend family” as the new Youth Ambassadors of Logan Lake. We are looking forward to getting to know them better, and sharing many different experiences over our year. Once again had the opportunity to promote the North Thompson Valley and this time we’re proud to say that we were a bit more at ease up on the stage in front of all those people.
November brought us the opportunity to attend the NTFFR Association’s annual general meeting and potluck dinner. We were pleased to see such a good turnout, and the dinner itself was amazing. It was very nice to be able to meet some of the many volunteers who work so hard to make the Fall Fair what it is, and we thank all of you for your contributions.
We were also privileged to be a part of the Barriere Legion Remembrance Day parade that month. All three of us proudly walked along with the many other people who came out to pay their respects. Once at the Cenotaph, on behalf of the NTFFRA, we laid a wreath for our fallen soldiers and in thanks to those who are still so bravely serving our country. It was great to be a part of the ceremonies, and very nice to see the community come together for this important event.
Later on in November we helped with Barriere’s No Host Bazaar by organizing tables and running the concession stand. It was a long day and a lot of fun. There was a good turnout and we would like to thank all those who participated in the Bazaar, and all the people who braved the weather that day to support them.
In December the three of us took part in yet another parade. This one being the Barriere Santa Claus Parade.
We were invited to be judges for all the entrants, and we were honoured to do so. There were many different kinds of floats and we congratulate all of the winners and thank every single participant for attending. We also enjoyed partaking in the parade itself, and loved seeing all the smiling faces lining the streets, despite the cold.
Just before Christmas we were excited to attend the Clearwater Santa Skate. This was a first ever for the NTFFRA Royalty! We had a blast taking pictures with Santa himself, and skating with everyone who attended, even if we did get “shown up” by a five-year-old girl who could definitely skate better than any of us. It was so much fun and we hope that the NTFFRA Royalty continues to attend this wonderful family event for years to come.
The New Year was brought in with a splash for two of us crazy, umm, we mean “brave” Royalty, by participating in the annual Polar Bear Dip in Little Fort.
That’s right, along with 25 other “dippers” we donned our swimming suits and ran head strait in to the freezing water. Now that was cold; but the tasty hot chocolate and big bonfire we all huddled around afterwards helped us thaw out. What a way to start the New Year!
Our time as the NTFFRA Royalty has already been filled with exciting adventures and memories, and the great thing is we’ve been told, “The best is yet to come!”
Our calendars will be very full over the next nine months with assisting our new 2011 candidates, educational and self-development classes, lots of traveling, and tons of new adventures. We will be sure to keep you updated on every moment.
All three of us are very proud to have been given this life-changing opportunity, and we would like to thank the NTFFRA for providing this wonderful program for young ladies. We would also like to thank all of you who support our program, and prove everyday why the North Thompson Valley truly is the best place to call home!
Until next time, your NTFFRA Royalty:
Queen and
Miss Congeniality, Alexandra Brown;
Princess Seanna Lyons
Princess Jessica Graves