PORT TOWNSEND — The theme of this year’s Rhododendron Festival is “Happily Ever After,” but it might as well be “Friendship.”
That’s what the three candidates for Rhododendron Festival queen are all about.
“We’re all friends,” Rachael Wiles says. “We do lots of stuff together, we hang out together, and we have the same group of friends.”
The trio — Camille Hardeman, Sheina Vogt and Wiles — were presented a tea Sunday at Sweet Laurette’s.
All three have been friends since grade school, so are running with, not against, each other for the three positions of queen and two princesses. And, they say, it doesn’t really matter to them which is which.
“We’ll all be happy for whoever wins,” Camille said.
Camille and Rachael, who was born in Port Townsend, have been friends since Camille moved to Port Townsend when she was four or five years old. They met Sheina, who moved to Port Townsend when she was in fourth grade.
The three girls have been friends through Grant Street, Mountain View and Blue Heron Middle School.
All are now juniors at Port Townsend High School and applied for Rhody royalty because they wanted to be more involved in the community.
“I also wanted to be part of something with my friends,” Sheina said.
The Festival royalty contest is open to juniors living in Jefferson County, but no candidates applied from Chimacum or Quilcene high schools, according to Christy Spencer, a festival coordinator.
The selection and coronation ceremony will be at 5 p.m. on March 15 at Chimacum High School, with Milt Morris as emcee, Spencer said.
In addition to creative presentations, a speech and answering impromptu questions, the three candidates will perform do a group presentation, a skit that will play off their friendship.
“They will be poking fun at the fact that they are all friends,” Spencer said.
Sheina, who moved to Port Townsend when she was in second grade, is the daughter of Karen Starling.
Sheina volunteers at the Boiler Room, is a member of Key Club and went to Bay St. Louis on a work trip in the afermath of Hurricane Katrina. She is interested in being a writer, and for her presentation, will read some of her poetry and show a collage of her artwork on the theme of friendship. It will include pictures of her friends, including the other two candidates, Sheina said.
Camille is the granddaughter of Candace and Ray Hulbert. She works at Lanza’s and volunteers at the Boiler Room. She also competes in Mock Trial, is a Key Club member and is involved in dance and drama. Now in Running Start, she plans to attend law school and be a criminal prosecutor.
For her creative presentations, Rachael, who is the daughter of Joy and Shawn Wiles, plans a presentation of her photography. She works at Starbucks, studies dance and plans to be a kindergarten teacher.
“It’s our differences that make us get along so well,” Rachael says. “We’re all interested in different things.”
All three candidates say the moment they are looking forward to the most is riding on the float in the Grand Parade, which this year is on May 17.
“We’ll see the little girls looking up and thinking, ‘Some day I’ll do that,'”Rachael said.
Junior royalty and the youth court will be announced on Jan. 25, Spencer
said.
The festival starts May 10 with the arts and crafts fair and goes through May 18 with the Rhody Run. For more information, go to www.ptguide.com.
