On March 5, Daniel Etherton will be competing for the Mr. Linganore crown alongside 5 other contestants. Etherton is portraying a samurai, military nobility of medieval and early-modern Japan. He will be escorted by Mary Bailey.

“It’s funny. I heard ‘masked characters’ and I was trying to find something to do along those lines and it hit me. I love Japanese culture and I’ve always been intrigued by the samurais, who are traditionally held to the code of Bushido,” said Etherton.

The code of Bushido exemplifies honor, loyalty, compassion, and benevolence. Bushido has influenced Etherton personally in his own code of honor and way of life.

“I saw a lot of myself in them and I wanted to represent that kind of individual and that character,” said Etherton.

Etherton has been an avid collector of Japanese items. The obsession began when Etherton first began noticing cars, specifically Japanese cars. 

“I always noticed that Japanese cars are made to get your attention. The detail and precision that go into the cars, makes them, in my point of view always better [than other produced cars]. I ended up looking into it and found out that everything from their industrialized systems to the culture, surrounds what they do, determined on quality,” said Etherton.

Etherton is being sponsored in the competition by his family-owned company, located in Ohio, Trapper Creek Land & Timber. The business is owned by Etherton’s father and three uncles.

“I always liked what they did [at Trapper Creek Land & Timber] and I think it’s a really interesting company. It’s not a well-known name, but I just thought it’d be a cool nod to my family,” said Etherton.

Etherton will play an original composiiton the talent for the contest. He has been learning piano for the last year and is planning to recite a monologue in Japanese for the contest.

“The talent is what makes me the most nervous, like my dancing is like it’s okay I can do it.  Seeing other people with their talents was really kind of extravagant and unique and made me think like ‘eh okay you’re just playing piano’,” said Etherton.

Along with performing on the night of the show, Etherton competed in four lunchtime competitions; cake decorating during first lunch, building gumdrop towers during second lunch, writing sweetheart letters during third second, and finger painting children book covers during fourth lunch.

Etherton is still solidifying his post-high school plan but wants to incorporate creativity into his future, whether it’s within writing, communications, art or design. 

Etherton began his art career only two years ago, in his required art credit classes, jewelry-making and photography. Etherton quickly opened his mind to other art forms. He fell in love with the creativity of the art field.

Etherton has a past within performing and the theater world, taking the stage is nothing new for him. Throughout middle school Etherton participated in the school musicals. 

“I’m a little shy from crowds, but back when I did theater I really did enjoy it and I like the concept of it. I love acting and doing voices, I love making people laugh. There was a love for theater when I was doing it,  and I think that’s really going to help me go through it hopefully a little easier,” said Etherton.