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

# # #