Frazee man reaches final four in Great American Think-Off debate

Frazee educator and consultant Thaddeus McCamant earned a spot in the final four of New York Mills’ Great American Think-Off, giving Otter Tail County another local name in a debate that now draws finalists from around the country and beyond.

The 33rd annual contest asks a question that fits the moment and the town’s long-running brand of public argument: “Has the pursuit of happiness made Americans unhappy?” Finalists were announced May 1 after essay entries were due April 1, and McCamant joined Solape Adeyemi of Lagos, Nigeria; Lorie Kolak of Riverside, Illinois; and Allen Taylor of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

For New York Mills, the Think-Off is more than a one-night event. Hosted by the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center and founded in 1993 by Cultural Center founder John Davis, it has become one of the community’s most recognizable annual markers, a place where philosophy is turned into a live performance and a small town presents itself as a place that values ideas as much as entertainment. The Cultural Center says the contest is meant to bring civil discourse and philosophy to a general audience.

The final debate is scheduled for Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the New York Mills School Auditorium. Audience members will vote in multiple rounds to determine the winner, and each finalist will receive a $500 cash prize, travel reimbursement and lodging. The champion will leave with a bronze, silver or gold medal.

That format gives the event unusual reach for a rural county. A finalist from Frazee can stand on the same stage as essayists from three continents, and the audience gets to decide who makes the strongest case. For New York Mills, that combination of local ownership and outside attention has helped turn a once-niche idea into a signature cultural draw that reinforces community pride and brings visitors into town for an evening of public debate.

The 2026 question also carries added weight as the nation moves toward its 250th anniversary. By putting “the pursuit of happiness” at the center of the debate, the Think-Off ties a familiar American ideal to a live conversation in Otter Tail County, where McCamant’s advance ensures the county will have a direct stake in the outcome when the auditorium fills in June.