SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MAY 13, 2017
Coronation
from 1A
clam chowder to each person
wearing a 2017 Rhody button
through the month of May.
Participating
restaurants
include ICM Seafood Rest-
aurant, Siuslaw Riverside, Le
Bouchon, The Bridgewater,
Bay Street Grille, The
Beachcomber, The Firehouse
and Homegrown Public House.
The idea for the clam chow-
der discount goes back to the
days when clam chowder
booths were located along the
Rhododendron
Festival’s
parade route.
Past royalty will also return
in the form of 1989 Queen
Rhododendra Vanessa Buss,
who, along with Florence
Mayor Joe Henry, will judge
the Coronation.
“The Coronation is going to
feel a lot like it used to,”
Krause said. “It’s going to be
on the main stage of the FEC
again.”
The night will start with a
choreographed music intro-
duction to both the Junior and
the Senior Courts. Emcees
Krause and Ned Hickson will
introduce the sponsors and
keep the evening moving.
This is another way the
committee is looking at the
past — Hickson and Krause
emceed together twice before,
and Hickson has emceed three
times total.
Krause said one special
moment
during
the
Coronation will be when the
Junior and Senior Princesses
are escorted out to the stage
by their father figures during
the formal wear event. The
Senior Princes will be escort-
ed by their mothers.
“It’s going to be so sweet,”
she said.
For Krause, tradition isn’t
as important as spending time
with the eight Mapleton and
Siuslaw high school students
of the Senior Court and the
five Mapleton and Siuslaw
elementary students of the
Junior Court.
“It’s such a special group,”
Krause said. “I love this
year’s court. We’ve got five
(senior) girls who are just
dynamic in their own way:
achievers who are actively
involved in their community
and life. The three guys are
just amazing and the five
Junior
Princesses
are
absolutely adorable.”
The
Junior
Court
Princesses are first-grader
Clover Holbrook, second-
grader Chloe Clark, third-
grader Madi Jerabek, fourth-
grader AriAnna Williams and
fifth-grader Ava Center.
Jerabek represents Mapleton,
and the other four princesses
PHOTOS BY WENDY KRAUSE
Members of the Rhody
Senior Court (above) are
building relationships
between Siuslaw and
Mapleton as they make
visits as ambassadors of
the area. (Left), rehearsals
for the May 18 Coronation
allow students to get com-
fortable on stage.
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The
Senior
Court
Princesses are Eyza Abbas,
Chehalis Stinger, Claire
Waggoner, Abby Watkins and
Jewel Roby, and the Senior
Court Princes are Benjamin
Cahoon, Michael Larson and
Kyle Doran. Roby and Doran
represent Mapleton High
School.
According to the Senior
Princesses and Princes, there
were a lot of reasons to join
the Rhody Court this year,
including being involved with
the community, listening to
the advice of friends who
went through previous courts,
experiencing new facets of
Rhody Days, meeting new
people, making memories and
carrying on tradition.
Waggoner said, “This has a
lot of personal meaning to me
because my great-grandma
was a princess in 1939, and
my mom was a princess and
Queen Rhododendra in 1990.
I am thrilled to now be a part
of a 110 year tradition.”
Once they were on the
court, all members became
part of the tradition.
Abbas said, “My favorite
part has been the process of
building relationships, not
only with my fellow seniors,
but with people all around the
community. Also, I have real-
ly enjoyed learning about the
history of the festival and
parade and knowing I am part
of something so historic in
this town.”
Under the direction of their
chaperones, both courts have
been visiting retirement
homes, area clubs and Coast
Radio as ambassadors to the
community.
For Doran, the court allows
him to use his passion for
helping those in need as well
as really get to know the com-
munity he will leave after
graduation.
“I’m really pleased with
how they’ve grown in their
public speaking,” Krause
said. “During this process,
we’ve really seen the students
get comfortable on stage,
even the shy ones. I’m just
very proud of them.”
The Senior Court has also
gotten to know and mentor the
Junior Court while spending
time with people who may not
attend the same school or
have the same interests.
“My favorite part of being
on the court has been meeting
all of the wonderful people,”
Larson said. “I have made so
many lasting connections that
I will never forget. These peo-
ple include the other members
of the court, those running the
court and all of the people we
go and visit.”
Stinger echoed this.
“Being on the Rhody Court
has been a family tradition,
and I am honored to continue
in the tradition. I’m getting to
know the Mapleton royalty
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7 A
and working with the Junior
Court,” she said.
For Cahoon, all of his
experiences his senior year at
Mapleton are “an amazing
addition to his story.”
“I’m an artist, and I let that
rule my life. Meaning, I strive
to make every aspect of my
life artwork pleasing to God,”
he said.
Talent is another big part of
the Coronation.
Krause said, “We’ve got
some amazing talent. Oh my
goodness, the talent portion is
going to be so fun this year.
From dancing and singing to a
heartfelt story to knife throw-
ing to card tricks and music -
it’s going to be so fun.”
Roby is the first knife
thrower in Rhody history.
“It makes me unique,” she
said.
Archery used to be part of
the agility contest to become
Queen Rhododendra, a prac-
tice that has fallen out of use
in the past 70 or more years.
“This is one more way
we’re hearkening back,”
Krause said.
Watkins also plans to show-
case her athleticism with a
gymnastics and dance routine.
Each of the Senior Court
royalty has plans for after
high school, from enlisting in
the military to going to col-
lege. Many also plan to con-
tinue
their
community
involvement in sports, the arts
and more.
At less that a week away,
the entire community is get-
ting “ready to rhody” by put-
ting bright, hand-painted rho-
dodendrons up in windows. It
is another fundraiser for
Senior Court scholarships and
a way to show support for the
Rhododendron Festival next
weekend, May 19-21.
“The goal of painting
rhodies on windows is just to
get excitement about Rhody
Weekend before it hits,”
Krause said. “It’s our first
year, and we hope to grow on
that in the future and get the
whole town blooming with
rhodies on their windows.”
The
Rhody
Court
Committee will continue
“painting the town in rhodies”
through Rhody Days, Krause
said. Any time there is blue
sky, she and her team will step
out and paint more rhodies on
windows.
“Businesses are really
excited about having those
rhodies on the windows. They
feel like they get to be part of
the team and community.
They’re banding together
with us to promote Rhody
Weekend,” Krause said.
The
Rhody
Court
Committee invites people to
attend Thursday’s Coronation.
“These kids are amazing,”
Krause said again of her stu-
dents. “There are always the
impressive ones, the ones who
impress you and shine when
you don’t expect it. These
kids are it.”
After the Coronation, the
entire Rhody Court will
appear in the Grand Floral
Parade on Sunday, May 21, on
a float sponsored by Banner
Bank.
The Junior Court will also
appear in the Junior Parade on
Saturday, May 20.
The 2017 Rhododendron
Festival buttons can be pur-
chased from any of the
Rhododendron Court mem-
bers, from their button boxes
found at businesses in
Florence, and at the Chamber
of
Commerce
Visitor’s
Center, 290 Highway 101.
For more information
on the 2017 Rhododendron
Festival,
visit
www.
florencechamber.com/annual-
events/rhody-festival.
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are Mondays and
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pressreleases@
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