SEQUIM — The public will have a chance to meet Sequim Irrigation Festival Queen Erin Gordon and princesses Gabi Simonson, Eden Batson and Gracelyn Hurdlow at the kick-off dinner next month.
The four were crowned Saturday during the 41st annual Royalty Pageant set at the Sequim High School auditorium.
The kick-off dinner and auction is set for 5 p.m. March 24 at 7 Cedars Casino Club Seven.
The 2018 float will be unveiled and the public can meet 2018 Royalty, festival dignitaries, the grand marshal, pioneers and community leaders. Tickets will be available soon.
Gordon — who has been seen on the local stage acting, singing and dancing — is the daughter of Li Hui and Scott Gordon and hopes to become a reconstructive plastic surgeon while continuing her creative talents in the future.
“I’m just so thankful to the judges and the contestants and the community,” Gordon said at the pageant reception.
“This is such an amazing opportunity and all of us did so well, I’m so proud of us.”
Gordon and the new princesses will reign over the 123rd Irrigation Festival from May 4-13, represent the city of Sequim at community functions and participate in a number of other festivals throughout the year.
In return for their service, the members of the Royalty Court each receive a scholarship — $1,250 for the queen and $1,000 for each of the princesses.
Simonson, daughter of Jonathan and Kenda Simonson, hopes to open a coffee shop with a daycare for children in Sequim so that mothers can have their children taken care of while they enjoy a cup of coffee.
She also plays six instruments and teaches Sunday school at Sequim Valley Foursquare Church where her father is a pastor.
Batson, daughter of Shelly and Bill Batson, plans to earn a registered nursing degree where her knowledge of the deaf culture and American Sign Language will be an asset.
She also wants to work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula to arrange dance, art and music classes for children and low-income families.
Hurdlow, daughter of Amy and Travis Hurdlow, will be taking a gap year after she completes high school to travel with Youth with a Mission organization to the Pacific Islands or Papua New Guinea to work with a team of doctors and nurses to bring help and healing to those in need.
She also wants to attend nursing school and specialize in Pediatrics.
The other young women running for Royalty spots were McKenna Kelbel, Janeydean O’Connor and Liliana Williams.
The annual Irrigation Festival celebrates the irrigation ditches which brought water to the once-dry prairies of Sequim.
Information for the 2018 Sequim High School Operetta is coming soon and Crazy Callen weekend is set for 7 a.m. starting May 4 and ends at 5 p.m. May 6.
For more information, visit http://www.irrigation festival.com/.
The new 2018 Irrigation Festival Royalty Court was announced at the 41st annual Royalty Pageant on Saturday. The new Royalty Court, from left, is Princess Gabi Simonson, Princess Eden Batson, Queen Erin Gordon and Princess Gracelyn Hurdlow. (Erin Hawkins/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
