PORT TOWNSEND — Four young women were introduced to the public Sunday as royalty candidates for the 83rd annual Rhododendron Festival, scheduled for May 14-19.
Skyanna Iardella, Desirae Kudronowicz, Ashley Rosser and Lacey Bishop will vie for titles, crowns and scholarships.
The coronation ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Chimacum High School auditorium.
“As tradition has it, a queen and two princesses will be chosen,” said Brandi Hamon, Rhododendron Festival president.
“The girls are all so willing to help each other out. It’s wonderful to see. They will be good representatives.”
According to organizers, the Rhododendron Festival itself will undergo a few changes this year.
“We’re changing up the festival tradition a bit,” said Hamon. The theme for 2018 is “Off To Rhodyland.”
“We’re doing something different with our float, too. We typically go with a flower theme, but this year we are doing a big ship, like an old sailing ship, and we’re calling it the Lady Rhododendron. We don’t think Rhody has ever gone in this direction before and it’s a very exciting change for us.”
The grand parade is slated for Saturday, May 19, beginning at 1 p.m.
All of this year’s royalty candidates are juniors from either Port Townsend or Chimacum high schools.
Iardella, 17, attends Port Townsend High School. She has an interest in American Sign Language and is the ASL Club’s vice president.
She plays on both the volleyball and softball teams and is a member of the band.
“I’m still a bit shy and want to open up my bubble a bit more,” she said. “I want to improve my public speaking.”
She plans to join the Navy and work in the medical field.
Kudronowicz, 17, attends Chimacum High School and is a member of the cheer team. She’s been involved in many community service organizations and is enrolled in a professional medical careers class at West Sound Tech in Bremerton. She’s also a demolition derby competitor.
“I want to become more involved in the community, and show my support. It’s such a beautiful place,” she said.
Kudronowicz plans to be a pediatric cardiac surgeon.
Rosser, 16, attends Port Townsend High School and is a lifeguard and swim instructor, volunteers with local environmental organizations including the Jefferson Land Trust, and plays the viola. She’s president of Students for Sustainability.
“When I was younger, I would go to Rhody parades and think, ‘Oh my gosh, they are doing such amazing things.’ Just being able to be part of the community is exciting,” she said. “It’s been an amazing experience so far and I absolutely love it.”
Rosser plans to major in environmental policy and become an environmental consultant.
Bishop, 16, attends Chimacum High School. She’s on the golf team, plays tennis, is a member of the marching and jazz bands, and is involved with 4-H and FFA.
“My involvement in the community through clubs, sports and band has given me a lot,” she said.
”By participating in Rhody, I’m finding a way to give back and represent the community outside of our towns. I’m interested in science and the law, and want to become a forensic scientist, with a minor in forensic anthropology.”
In order to compete, the girls must maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher and sell $800 worth of commemorative pins at the $5 booster level or the $10 patron level before Feb. 12, Harmon said.
“They are all very good, enthusiastic students,” Harmon said.
Prior to the coronation ceremony, the four candidates will make presentations and answer questions at six to eight service clubs.
“The royal court serves for one year and makes a dozen appearances around the state. Their first event is the Daffodil Parade in Tacoma, the first Saturday in April,” she explained.
“The parade season ends in September, although their busy schedule includes appearances at local events such as tree lighting, Girl’s Night Out, Kinetics, and so forth, all throughout the year.”
On hand to give the new candidates some pointers Sunday were 2017 Rhody Queen Lauren Montgomery and princesses Sarah Smith and Taylor Tracer.
They talked about what the experience meant to them and how much they’ve grown in the past year.
Their advice to the four hopefuls: Get a big wall planner to be prepared, write speeches ahead of time and use bullet points, don’t show stress, get a lot of sleep whenever possible, and be enthusiastic “because all the little girls look up to you in awe.”
For more information, visit www.rhodyfestival.org.
________
Jeannie McMacken is a freelance writer and photographer living in Port Townsend.
