Local float takes prize at Carnival of Flowers

The Apple and Grape Harvest Festival Mascots Jono and Bella, several Young Ambassadors, festival directors and some wonderful volunteers made the trip up the highway to Toowoomba for the Carnival of Flowers recently.
The committee won the best visiting float award in 2009 and decided this year to enter again.
Early in the morning, the empty trailer, donated by Jason Wilmot from Wilmot Removals, arrived in Toowoomba.
The team got busy and worked together to ensure the float met all the criteria and also kept to the 2012 festival theme “Rio Carnival”.
Festival president Keith Barnett said, “We started with the bare trailer and concrete form boards from Stephen and Loretta Williams that turned into fabulous flower pot holders. Matthew Cronk from B & B Machinery in Drayton organised the Massey Ferguson GC2400 tractor that pulled the float with the Mascots and Young Ambassadors on board.”
Trevor Fitness, the festival stall director, drove the shiny red tractor while Zoe Dunlop, 2010 Festival Fundraising Ambassador, joined Gianna Zanatta (McDonald’s Young Ambassador), Mackenzie Elliott (Power Tynan Young Ambassador) and Courtney Dachs (Southern Belle Young Ambassador) on the float.
It was a very hot day but Liz Duell, the Young Ambassador director, the girls and the mascots still waved and smiled to the tens of thousands who came to enjoy the parade.
By the end of the day Jono and Bella’s special carers and others were exhausted but delighted to take out first prize again in the Visiting Floral Float Award and Jono and Bella stole third place in the Character Category.
With only five months to the 2012 festival, it has been very busy for the Young Ambassadors. The very next day after the carnival parade the girls were out at Sutton’s Juice in Thulimbah as part of their training program.
They have now spent several training sessions with Marella Pinchbeck in deportment and etiquette, completed their Toastmaster Speechcraft course and have been out and about with all sorts of fundraising activities.
It is with much regret that Jessica Johnson has withdrawn from the Apple and Grape Young Ambassadors program.
The Apple and Grape Harvest Festival committee thanks Jessica and her sponsors, Rodney Abraham and Kellie Thompson, from Granite Belt Fruit Freighters and wish Jessica well for the future.
The committee is still looking for a marketing director to promote the festival.
“We are looking for someone who can step in and take over the marketing plans of the festival,” Mr Barnett said.
“With only five months until the festival starts, we really need someone to get the word out there. If you have experience in this area, please contact us info@appleandgrape.org  We would love to hear from you,” he said.
Don’t forget the Stanthorpe race day on October 15 when the Young Ambassadors will be formally introduced to the community.