SEQUIM — Lily Tjemsland, a Sequim High School student and frequent Olympic Theatre Arts actor, was crowned queen at the scholarship pageant for the the 130th Irrigation Festival.
Sponsored by OTA, her platform focus will be the Welfare for Animals Guild, due to her deep love of animals.
Three of the four other contestants were selected as princesses and prince: Roxy Woods, Joanna Morales and Malachi Byrne.
The stage set was simple and effective and followed this year’s steampunk theme — a giant clock set to the time of 1:30, which symbolizes the 13 decades of the festival.
The contestants performed a song and dance together at the opening before the judges entered. Judging was 35 percent based on an earlier interview, but contestants also were judged on their creative display at the pageant, two impromptu questions and evening attire.
Tjemsland performed a monologue as a diabolical Dorothy Gale, Glenna Cary delivered a speech about her family, Byrne played “Ashokan Farewell” by Jay Unger on the violin, Woods danced ballet and Morales baile folklórico. Morales was also awarded the congeniality title by her fellow contestants.
Guy Horton hosted the event. Lynn Horton and Robin Bookter co-directed the pageant. A number of local luminaries were introduced and stood up in the crowd, including honored pioneers Betty Ellis Kettel, Janet Ellis Duncan, Tim Wheeler and Hazel Messenger Lowe and former Sequim Gazette editor Michael Dashiell, who will serve as grand marshal this year.
Outgoing queen Ariya Goettling and princesses Sophia Treece, Kailah Blake and Ashlynn Northaven performed a comedic song and dance and crowned the junior and senior royalty.
Junior princesses Savannah Fuller, Madelyn Davis, Briella Gleason and Stella Good read their essays on Sequim.
Glenna Cary cheers Lily Tjemsland, who comes forward upon hearing she will be the 2025 queen at the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s scholarship pageant. (Emily Matthiessen/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
