BFF25: Coultes takes crown as new Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
Alycia Coultes is the new Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador and while she couldn’t attend the special ambassador night at the Brussels Legion, she didn’t need an introduction among the members of the Brussels Agricultural Society or avid attendees of the fair.
Unfortunately, Coultes was called away to a family funeral that night, but the Brussels Agricultural Society and, specifically, its ambassador committee, encouraged her to take all of the time she needed because the society, after all, is really a family and family members support one another.
She was later able to be properly crowned by outgoing Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador Emily Bieman and now Coultes is ready to be part of the fair in a new role for the first time. No stranger to the fair, Coultes says she’s been attending for as long as she can remember, whether it be in the parade as a student or, more notably, as a 4-H beef and sheep club member, showing her animals on achievement day for those respective clubs.
She’s been a 4-H member since she was nine years old (she’s now 21) and during that time she has completed many, many clubs, focusing much of her time on the sheep and beef clubs. As for her 4-H involvement, she has two years left, but, when she ages out of the program, she hopes to continue as a local leader, if there’s a spot ready for her.
However, back to the task at hand and Coultes is very much looking forward to her first Brussels Fall Fair as its ambassador. She looks forward to revisiting old friendships, making new ones and connecting with the children who will be attending the fair this year, which is a real hallmark of the ambassador program and one that keeps generation after generation involved in its local fair and the agricultural heritage of the region.
Her path to being the Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador began with something that is often a factor in such journeys, which is word-of-mouth. Coultes and the aforementioned Bieman are great friends, Coultes says, so, when the time came to find some people who wanted to be the next Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador, Bieman turned to her friend, knowing that Coultes would be a great candidate and someone who would represent the society and the fair well, both out in the community and at locations beyond Brussels’ borders.
Bieman was right and Coultes said she jumped at the chance to be part of the fair in a different way. However, things won’t change too much, as she plans on shedding her crown in the afternoon of the Brussels Fall Fair and getting into the (show) ring once again to show her beef and sheep for achievement day, delegating her hosting responsibilities to the Junior and Little Ambassadors for that period.
The timing was also fortuitous, as Coultes was returning from western Canada to her home community near Brussels for a period of time that would allow her to attend the fair and be part of the community during her reign.
Coultes has been studying at Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alberta, beginning with Animal Sciences and then moving into Agricultural Technology. She plans on graduating this April and then finding a career in the feed industry (she’s currently doing a work placement as part of the fourth year of her program with Masterfeeds, which she is absolutely loving), though she’s not 100 per cent sure which path her career will take, she can be sure it will be in the world of agriculture.
Looking ahead, she’s just happy to now be part of the Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador family and to go about the business of promoting the Brussels Agricultural Society and being a big part of the fair later this month.
As mentioned, she will be showing her animals during the 4-H competition at the fair, but she has not been much for submitting exhibits into the fair, but rather focusing on the 4-H show. She has submitted things for the Elementary School Fair in Belgrave and a fair near her grandparents’ house in Lansdowne, but not regularly in Brussels. However, as the ambassador now, there’s plenty of time to get involved.