SEQUIM — Members of the Sequim Irrigation Festival royalty are getting ready for the unveiling of their float after they were crowned last weekend.
The royalty’s float will be unveiled at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at 7 Cedars Resort, just prior to the Kick-Off Dinner and Auction.
The 2023 royal court was crowned during the annual scholarship pageant at the Sequim High School auditorium.
Pepper Reymond, an aspiring nutritionist, won over the judges for the role of this year’s queen with her response to various questions and her rendition of “Part of Your World” from “The Little Mermaid.”
“It’s exhilarating,” Reymond said after the pageant at Sequim High School.
“I’m thrilled and ready to take on the mantle of queen for the community.”
For the next year, Reymond and the festival’s royal court — princess Anne Marie Barni, prince Fred Cameron and princess Paige “Skylar” Krzyworz — will tour the region at parades and events as ambassadors for Sequim.
During the pageant, the 2022 royalty — queen Isabella Williams, princess Katherine Gould, princess Ellie Turner and princess Lauren Willis — were honored, along with this year’s honored pioneers, Janice Schmuck Thomsen, Rena Mantle Blank, Myrna Margaret Mantle and Rick Godfrey.
Susan Baritelle also was recognized as the 2023 grand marshal and Hope Walkowski as the button design winner.
The 2023 Junior Royalty were crowned after reading their essays. They include Sofia Lopez and Greyson Rhodes of Greywolf Elementary, and Lynn Westman and Grayson Castell of Helen Haller Elementary.
Barni was awarded the Congeniality Award, sponsored by Castell Insurance, for her kindness to fellow contestants during the pageant preparation process.
The four teens who registered for the royal court were judged on prior interviews, impromptu questions, evening attire and their creative displays.
Barni performed an original flute score to her hand-drawn animation, Cameron presented his plans for building and purchasing generators as part of his Eagle Scout project, and Krzyworz performed “Coiled” by Bob Upton on the cello.
Along with making various appearances for the festival, the four teens will share their platforms with the community.
Reymond plans to partner with Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), and Barni plans to inform the community about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with informational pamphlets. Cameron looks to raise awareness about blood disorders, and Krzyworz looks to support the Sequim Food Bank.
Members of the Royal Court each receive a scholarship (one $1,250 scholarship for the Queen and three $1,000 scholarships for each of the princesses/princes).
For more information on tickets and upcoming events for the 128th festival, set for May 6-13, visit irrigationfestival.com.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
