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The Cloverdale Citrus Fair Announces the Opening of Applications for the 2023 Ambassador Scholarship Program

The Cloverdale Citrus Fair’s Board of Directors is opening applications for the second year of its Ambassador Program, open to all high school juniors from Cloverdale and Geyserville.

In this second year of the program, we will be expanding into fiscal proficiency and professional presence. A workshop on budgeting for a professional wardrobe will be held at the start of the program and afterwards the candidates will receive a $250 wardrobe budget to create their professional look.

Last year, the brand-new competition was a shift from the Citrus Fair’s Queen Pageant, a longstanding Citrus Fair tradition. The shift made the opportunity available to more students and was structure to invest in the participants from the beginning of the program to its conclusion.

The Citrus Fair Association will once again underwrite the scholarship portion of the competition. The student selected as the Ambassador will receive a $5,000 scholarship and the runner up, the Associate Ambassador, will receive $2,500. The remaining “delegates” will each receive $825. The award money may be used for college, trade school, or professional training and certification.

Five participants will be chosen through an application process that includes a combination of recommendations, community service, and academic performance although it is not the intention of the program to only include students with the highest GPAs. The five students who are selected will participate in a variety of activities designed on develop their professional skills, expose them to the field of venue management, and assess their growth and contribution during the process. Candidates will participate in service-learning time at the fairgrounds,  rotating through the various departments to learn about the administrative, marketing, planning, and facility elements that make up the field of venue management and the production of a fair. Participants will also attend skill development workshops to improve their interview, resume writing, and presentation skills. The final selection of Ambassador and Associate Ambassador will be based on a consumer science exercise, panel interview, presentation in front of an audience, and written communication. As with the Queen program, the student selected as the Ambassador will be required to represent the Citrus Fair at public events, while the Associate Ambassador will attend if the Ambassador is not available.

“Participants in the Ambassador Program will be able to learn about event planning and venue management as a career option while also learning valuable skills that will serve them no matter what career or educational avenue they choose,” stated Thomas Keaney, CEO. “For the students chosen as the Ambassador and Associate Ambassador, that development continues through the year.”

Applications for the Ambassador program may be found at students’ high schools, the Cloverdale public library, online at the Citrus Fair website in English and Spanish and at the fair’s administration office at 1 Citrus Fair Drive, Cloverdale.

Cloverdale Citrus Fair to Move 2022 Fair to April

For Immediate Release

Cloverdale Citrus Fair
Contact Allison Keaney, PhD
Akeaney@cloverdalecitrusfair.org 

Cloverdale Citrus Fair to Move 2022 Fair to April

In an emergency meeting held Wednesday night, the Cloverdale Citrus Fair Board of Directors voted unanimously to postpone the Citrus Fair. The new date is April 21-24, 2022. The move is in response to the current health order which prohibits public indoor gatherings to 50
people and outdoor gatherings to 100.

The order is set to expire on February 11th, a week before the opening day of the fair, but the preparation for northern Sonoma County’s signature event requires several volunteers, staff, and business partners working together to prepare exhibits, buildings, and the grounds.

“The health and safety of our community is our primary concern” said Allison Keaney, CEO of the Citrus Fair. “Moving the date of Citrus Fair allows us to support the health of all who prepare the fair by shifting that work until after the current health order is lifted, and providing a date that is safer and more comfortable for all patrons.”

As soon as the current health order was announced, Fair staff began working with business partners and service providers to find alternatives. The new date was selected based on the availability of these partners who provide the carnival, concessions, ticketing, security, and more. The popular and long-awaited Cabaret will also shift with the new fair dates, playing on Thursday through Sunday.

Updates on scheduling, exhibits deadlines, and other information will be shared via the fair’s website and social media outlets:
Cloverdalecitrusfair.org
On Facebook, Cloverdale Citrus Fair 2022

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The Cloverdale Citrus Fair launches NEW Ambassador Scholarship Program

Cloverdale Citrus FairFor Immediate Release

Cloverdale Citrus Fair
Contact Allison Keaney, PhD
Akeaney@cloverdalecitrusfair.org 

The Cloverdale Citrus Fair launches NEW Ambassador Scholarship Program.

The Cloverdale Citrus Fair’s Board of Directors is rolling out a new scholarship competition, open to all high school juniors and seniors from Cloverdale and Geyserville: The Ambassador Scholarship Program.

“As we prepare to celebrate our 130th year, we felt it was time to re-evaluate the way we recognize and support our youth as they prepare to enter college, trade school, or the workforce,” said Dylan Davis, Board President of the Cloverdale Citrus Fair Association.

The competition is a shift from the Citrus Fair’s Queen Pageant, a longstanding Citrus Fair tradition, and will make the opportunity available to more students. Applicants to the Queen Pageant have been decreasing over the years, signaling a time to try something different. One of those differences is with the scholarship award itself.

The Citrus Fair Association will underwrite the scholarship portion of the competition and has increased the awards significantly. The student selected as the Ambassador will receive a $5,000 scholarship and the runner up, the Associate Ambassador, will receive $2,500. The remaining participants will each receive $825. The money may be used for college, trade school, or professional training and certification.

Five participants will be chosen through an application process that includes a combination of recommendations, community service, academic performance, and written communication. The five students who are selected will participate in a panel interview and presentation program in front of an audience which will help determine the winner. In addition, they will participate in service-learning time for the fair, rotating through the various departments to learn about the administrative, marketing, planning, and facility elements that make up the field of venue management and the production of a fair. Participants will also attend skill development workshops to improve their interview, resume writing, and presentation skills. As with the Queen program, the student selected as the Ambassador will be required to represent the Citrus Fair at public events, while the Associate Ambassador will attend if the Ambassador is not available.

“Participants in the Ambassador Program will be able to learn about event planning and venue management as a career option while also learning valuable skills that will serve them no matter what career or educational avenue they choose,” stated Allison Keaney, CEO. “For the students chosen as the Ambassador and Associate Ambassador, that development continues through the year.”

The Queen Pageant, a long-standing tradition for the Fair, will be showcased and honored in a special presentation during the Citrus Fair on Friday, February 18th, opening night of the 2022 Fair.

Applications for the Ambassador program may be found online at the Citrus Fair website (cloverdalecitrusfair.org) and at the office at 1 Citrus Fair Drive, Cloverdale.

The 2022 Cloverdale Citrus Fair will take place February 18-21 and visitors will be welcomed “Under the Big Top!”  For more information visit cloverdalecitrusfair.org or email info@cloverdalecitrusfair.org

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