Irrigation Festival Pageant
When: 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 14 (Valentine’s Day)
Where: Sequim High School Auditorium, 533 N. Sequim Ave.
Tickets: $5; available at Kitsap Bank, the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce and Cherry Creek Mortgage.
One hundred and twenty years in and the tradition of crowning Sequim’s queen lives on.
Seven girls seek one of four spots for the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s royalty this year with one lucky girl taking the esteemed crown.
All juniors, the competitors are Savanna Fowler, Morgan King, Emily Larson, Madison Morris, Megan O’Mera, Kyla Rigg and Amanda Sanders.
They compete at 7 p.m. Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, in the Sequim High School Auditorium, 533 N. Sequim Ave. Tickets are $5 at the door and available at Kitsap Bank, the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce and Cherry Creek Mortgage.
Masters of Ceremonies for the event are Bob Schilling, executive director of KSQM radio, and Cynthia Anderson, a former princess and academic counselor at the University of Washington. The pageant is part of this year’s festival branded “120 Fun a Plenty – Sequim is Your Playground,” which runs May 1-10. Sequim’s princesses-to-be have been hard at work practicing for the pageant, preparing to speak and share their platforms.
For more information, visit www.irrigationfestival.com.
Savanna Fowler
Fowler moved to Sequim about 10 years ago after her father was offered a job as a chef. If chosen, she would sing and play guitar and piano at a concert as a benefit for children with epilepsy.
• Why do you want to join the royalty?
Since I moved to Sequim, my family and I have attended almost every Irrigation Festival and when I first saw them (the royalty) I just fell in love with them. Plus they have an amazing scholarship opportunity.
• In one word describe yourself.
Passionate. My whole life I’ve been a passionate person.
• What’s one thing people might not know about you?
I sing.
• What’s one thing you’d like to change for the better in Sequim?
All the litter.
• What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
To see the world’s beauty, you must first open your eyes.
Morgan King
King moved to Sequim from Southern California about eight years ago. She says her grandpa moved here for a job and every year her family would visit and her parents loved how beautiful it was here and they wanted a change of scenery. If chosen for the royalty, she’d like to help at the soup kitchen in Port Angeles.
• Why do you want to join the royalty?
Ever since I moved here, I’ve always been exposed to it and it’s a new opportunity to meet new people.
• In one word describe yourself.
Bubbly. I’m always smiling.
• What’s one thing people might not know about you?
I’ve never broken a bone or had a bloody nose.
• What’s one thing you’d like to change for the better in Sequim?
Ever since I’ve been driving, I realized how many of the little roads don’t have stop signs so I would put stop signs on those roads. It scares me.
• What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
My mom always has been my cheer coach since I was little and she always tells me to practice how you perform and to me, that means always to do my best.
Emily Larson
Larson moved to Sequim four years ago from Waterford, Maine. She says her mom grew up here and when she left as a teenager she knew she’d want to come back. “She finally got the chance to so we left Maine and came here,” Larson said.
If chosen, Larson would want to partner with the North Olympic Salmon Coalition to host an outdoor learning day for Sequim elementary school students.
• Why do you want to join the royalty?
A lot of people have the idea that girls who like to wear makeup and dress pretty don’t like to get dirty and do outdoor work. I want to show the community that isn’t true.
• In one word describe yourself.
Determined. When I want to have something done, I don’t stop working on it until it’s completed.
• What’s one thing people might not know about you?
I plant trees a lot and every time I plant a tree I give it a name. They aren’t the typical names like Carl. They are like “the tree planted in bed of rocks” or “tree I accidentally stepped on.”
• What’s one thing you’d like to change for the better in Sequim?
When I started driving, I started noticing the issues with our intersections. They are so blocked you can’t really see anything when you are trying to make a turn. I’d like that to change.
• What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
My Algebra I teacher told me to do work that I don’t want to do. He meant it in a way of arduous work that if you are lazy and wouldn’t normally do.
Madison Morris
Morris moved to Sequim two years ago from the Tri-Cities. Her grandparents live here and they moved to be closer to them, she said.
If chosen, she’d want to hand out flowers to patients at the Sequim cancer center to show them her support.
• Why do you want to join the royalty?
Growing up and seeing people be in royalty, I’ve always been envious of the beauty and the dresses and I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me.
• In one word describe yourself.
Independent. I don’t think I need help usually even when I do. I try to handle anything I can.
• What’s one thing people might not know about you?
I love scarves. I can’t stop talking about scarves.
• What’s one thing you’d like to change for the better in Sequim?
I don’t think there are enough things for the youth in their own time. We need to have a gaming center or somewhere where it’s good, clean, safe fun.
• What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Grandma told me not to go to bed mad because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
Megan O’ Mera
O’Mera was born and reared in Sequim and her family moved here before she was born because her dad was offered the head golf professional position at Sunland. If selected, she’d want the royalty to help at the Summer Reading Program at the Sequim Library where she’s participated every year and spent the last three summers as a teen volunteer.
• Why do you want to join the royalty?
When I was 8 years old, my babysitter Julie (a princess) was on the court and I just thought she was queen of the world. I thought it was the greatest thing and I looked up to her so much and I really want to be a role model for the kids of Sequim like I looked up to her.
• In one word describe yourself.
Confident. I have two older brothers and they always taught me to stand up for myself and voice my opinion and believe in who I am.
• What’s one thing people might not know about you?
I’m obsessed with Disney movies and my favorite is “Frozen.”
• What’s one thing you’d like to change for the better in Sequim?
Offer healthier food choices in our school cafeterias, preferably local foods.
• What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
My grandpa taught me, basically you live 24 hours a day and if you spend 8 hours working and 8 hours sleeping, then you only spend 8 hours doing what you really want to do. But if you love the work and profession you put yourself into, then you basically double your life.
Kyla Rigg
Rigg moved here 12 years ago with her family from Southern California. She said her family wanted to branch out and try something different. “I think they wanted us in a small town,” she said.
If selected, she’d want the royalty to visit Seattle Children’s with gifts and toys while meeting with some of the patients.
• Why do you want to join the royalty?
My family has been involved in the Sequim Irrigation Festival longer than I can remember and I’ve known so many of the girls on the royalty and seen the experiences they had being on there. I’ve always wanted to be like them.
• In one word describe yourself.
Comical. I’m always looking for something to bring people a smile or laugh. It brings happiness to my heart to make other people smile.
• What’s one thing people might not know about you?
I think I read people better than most people think. I can tell when people are upset or if I should try and make them laugh.
• What’s one thing you’d like to change for the better in Sequim?
There are a lot of things I like about businesses in Sequim but they could benefit from an indoor sports recreational center because so many days the weather doesn’t cooperate or there isn’t a good place for kids to train or practice and not get in trouble.
• What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
My grandpa always told me to follow my dreams and you never know where they are going to take you. They could change but don’t ever let anything or anyone get in your way.
Amanda Sanders
Sanders and her family moved to Sequim six years ago because her mom’s job was here and she wanted the family to move from Port Angeles.
For her platform, Sanders wants to raise anything that can help like money, food, leashes and beds for the Welfare for Animals Guild.
• Why do you want to join the royalty?
If you walk into Safeway, you can see their glass window display with the Irrigation Parade and royalty. Every time I walked by I thought they were gorgeous and I’ve always wanted to do it since I moved here.
• In one word describe yourself.
Passionate. I care about everything I do.
• What’s one thing people might not know about you?
I’m very good at parking my car. Parallel parking, indeed. Especially on those tight streets on Washington Street and Fifth Avenue.
• What’s one thing you’d like to change for the better in Sequim?
I would open a dance or something in our area for youth and children. There’s not enough for us to do and kids are getting into trouble.
• What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
My mom always told me to treat people how you want to be treated.
Sponsors
The pageant’s major sponsor is the Co-op Farm and Garden and each girl is sponsored with Fowler by Country Care Veterinary Service, King by KeyBank Port Angeles, Larson by Peter Black Real Estate, Morris by Kitsap Bank, O’Mera by Jon Jack State Farm Insurance, Rigg by RE/MAX Fifth Avenue and Sanders by Edward Jones Investments.
