Miss Teen Butte County girls pose together in their gowns and sashes. Photo by Amber Thompson Photography

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - Gridley has been privileged to watch as the Miss Butte County Scholarship Program has grown and evolved over decades of being part of Butte County and the Butte County Fair.

This year, the program has progressed and become more inclusive of not only the young women in our communities, but young men with the addition of their Ambassador program.

The new category of Butte County Ambassador invites young men ages 13 to 20 years of age to compete for the role of Ambassador. According to Raina Wright-Reynolds, Miss Butte County Scholarship Program Director, this program directly mirrors that of the Miss Butte County program, competing in the resume and interview portion before the fair, and then speech, impromptu and presentation of skills on-stage during the fair. Winners will take home a trophy and ambassador sash, officially representing Butte County and the Butte County Fair and area events.

New this year to the competition is the addition of the “Butte County Fair Test” and a service platform for Miss Butte County and the Ambassadors contestants. Contestants’ basic knowledge of the fair will be tested in a written exam. Community service is already a part of the scholarship program, but the service platform takes that to the next level, either asking the older contestants to support an established non-profit or community organization as the focus of their platform or start their own service project that they work on throughout their reign.

 Miss Teen Butte County girls relax on the grass. Photo by Amber Thompson Photography

Wright-Reynolds tells the Herald, “The Fair Board, the Miss Butte County Advisory Committee and myself wanted to find a way to be able to provide these opportunities to more youth…the best option we could think of was finding a way to incorporate young men into our program.”

She explains that with the Miss Butte County Scholarship Program, both Royal Courts and Ambassadors have the unique opportunity to be of service throughout the county, not just locally, and have access to industry professionals that can hone interview, resume and public speaking skills.

With the addition of the Ambassador Program, the non-competitive “future” program has also been expanded to include young men ages 4-7 as Future Ambassadors. Just like the Future Missette category, young ladies ages 4-7, these young children get a moment in the spotlight during competition night at the Butte County Fair, a sash, flower, a mini crown for the ladies and a small trophy for the boys.

“I think that it (the program) is heading in a wonderful direction. We’ve really revamped a lot of our events …we’ve made a really big change into doing so much more service at each of our events, which makes me beyond happy.” says Wright-Reynolds.

As for the new Ambassador Program, Wright-Reynolds said, “I think that the young men that get involved in this are going to find that there are a lot of opportunities to improve themselves, learn new skills and get to participate in the community in ways that maybe they hadn’t thought of before. I am so excited for this to get off the ground and to really start going.”

Applications are currently being accepted. For Missette, Teen, Miss and Ambassador categories, the first 12 applications will be considered. For Future Missette and Future Ambassadors, only the first 20 applications will be considered, and others will be put on the wait list. Wright-Reynolds urges those interested in participating in the “Future” programs to act quickly as those programs tend to fill quickly and the deadline is June 28th. The deadline for Missette, Teen, Miss and Ambassador applications is June 14.

Applications and fees can be dropped off at the Butte County Fair Office located at 199 E. Hazel St., Gridley Ca.

For more information on the Miss Butte County Scholarship Program and Ambassador program, or to sponsor the program in some way, please visit https://www.buttecountyfair.org/fair-2024/miss-butte-county.

 The Miss Teen Butte County girls show off their sashes. Photo by Amber Thompson Photography