In its 50th year of competitions, the Stratford Fall Fair finally has its first male ambassador.
In its 50th year of competitions, the Stratford Fall Fair finally has its first male ambassador.
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Marshall MaCannell, 23, who grew up in Listowel and now lives in Stratford, was named the winner Friday at the opening ceremony of the 183rd fair organized by the Stratford & District Agricultural Society. He took the crown over fellow competitor Marissa Van Straaten.
MaCannell, who had two older sisters previously competing for the title of ambassador at the Listowel Fair, decided to follow in their footsteps by putting his name in the running to represent Stratford over the next year.
“I think it’s a great honor to be named the 50th ambassador, being the first male ambassador in Stratford,” MaCannell said. “I look forward to representing Stratford to the best of my ability at many events coming in the next year.”
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While it was close competition with just two candidates in the running, both were representative of young people getting involved the community, fair co-chair Heidi Danen said.
“That’s something we definitely cherish is having young people who want a way to get involved,” she said. “They want to find ways to give back to their community, and that is certainly something that would have made them stand out. So that’s something we look for.”
Having the first ever male ambassador is “super exciting for Stratford,” Danen added
“Typically, there are five to seven males across the province who do win ambassador competitions, but this is the first one in Stratford. So it’s a wonderful milestone to come to,” she said.
MaCannell highlighted the efforts made by his competitor.
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“I think (Van Straaten) did great,” he said. “I wouldn’t have wanted to compete against anyone else with her history of farming and her family. I think she would have been a great, suitable candidate, and I hope she runs in the future.”
MaCannell replaces Faith Knechtel, who was named the 2023 ambassador. She followed that up by taking top spot the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies District 8, which includes 12 fairs from Huron and Perth Counties, and being named runner-up at the Canada-wide Ambassador of the Fairs contest at the Canadian National Exhibition last month . Her advice to MaCannell as he starts his journey was to “buckle up.”
“The Stratford community is an amazing, upbeat culture as a whole,” she said. “The biggest advice, I would say, is don’t be afraid to grab the (microphone). They’re always going to throw you more improvmptu speeches, impromptu thank yous, and I think that’s the biggest skill you take away from it, is your public speaking skills improve. So get ready to be a really great speaker.”
This year’s fair also represents a changing of the guard as Danen will be stepping away from her role as chair of the ambassador program after 14 years. Her replacement has yet to be named.
“This has become a passion for me. It has become a family to me,” she said. “It’s such a huge part of my life, so it’s been a very difficult decision to step down, but it is time to give the next person that same opportunity to enjoy this program as much as I did.”
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