Dresden’s Taryn McBrayne was still beaming on Sunday afternoon, after being crowned as the Ambassador of the Fair at the opening ceremonies on Friday at the 140th Dresden Exhibition.
McBrayne told the Sydenham Current she was honoured to have been named the winner.
“I am so excited,” McBrayne said at the Dresden Raceway on Sunday. “This weekend was a blast. I was here everyday. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and than today handing out ribbons at the Cattle Show, prizes at the Baby Show, the Tractor Pull on Friday was a blast too.”
“I think my favourite part was the parade with the previous ambassadors. It was their 140th Anniversary, so that was really fun to be a part of that history was really great. It has been a blast and I can’t wait for whatever else happens this year.”
McBrayne said to prepare for the competition, which was held in June, they had to write a speech about agriculture along with an interview with the judges with impromptu questions.
“So you would pull a random question out of a bowl and had to answer it in front of the audience,” she said.
“So for preparing for that I just practiced my speech over and over at home. My parents are probably sick of me. My parents asked me questions and I had to answer it off the top of my head and things like that. I just remembered to be myself and my personality because that’s always a part of the competition too. They want to see your personality and who you are.”
McBrayne said she is going to the CNE this summer, to scope it out and gather some experience.
“I am not competing in it but to just get a feel for it for next year. I think I can learn a lot of life skills from this. Communication skills as well as interacting with the community. I have lived here all my life so it’s a big part of who I am,” she said.
McBrayne is going to Queens University in Kingston in September to study concurrent education, with the hopes of teaching overseas someday.
“So just having that experience in my hometown before I leave and to come back and be in the Christmas Parades and interacting with the young kids, things like that is just an unforgettable experience,” she said.
McBaryne said she hopes to learn more about agriculture with her role as the Dresden fair ambassador.
“I did a lot of research online and my Grandpa is a big farmer so I talked to him about a lot of things,” she said. “I grew up on a farm so I just kind of know a lot of things as well. I think I will definitely have to research more and talk to more people to prepare for the CNE next summer so that I can gain more agricultural knowledge.”
– Photo credit: Nathan Vercauteren
