SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2018 | 5A
Rhody Court Prepares for May 17 Coronation, festival weekend
By Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
T
he members of this year’s Rho-
dodendron Court are ready to
“Rhody Rendezvous” with the Florence
community during the Coronation
on Thursday, May 17. Beginning at
6:30 p.m., the Junior and Senior Royal
Courts will share their talents, inter-
views and insights at the stage of the
Florence Events Center, 715 Quince St.
To conclude the event, one Senior Prin-
cess and Prince will be crowned Queen
Rhododendra and King of the Coast.
“These awesome ambassadors for
the 111th Rhododendron Festival have
been working so hard,” said Rhody
Court Committee Chair Jenna Bartlett.
Students from Siuslaw and Mapleton
elementary and high schools have been
attending events, making connections
and representing the Florence area
since they were selected to be on the
court.
Court members are still selling cam-
paign-style pins for $3 featuring the
festival’s logo. Pins are available from
court members, at the Florence Area
Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Cen-
ter, 290 Highway 101, and around
town. Proceeds go toward scholarships
for members of the court.
Pins are also good for $1 off a bowl of
chowder at participating restaurants in
May. The list includes Bay Street Grille,
Beachcomber Pub, Firehouse Restau-
rant, Homegrown Public House, ICM
Restaurant and Le Bouchon Café.
Florence Area Chamber of Com-
merce sponsors the annual festival and
the Rhododendron Court.
“This year’s ‘Rhody Rendezvous’
theme intends to evoke a feeling of
coming to Florence and meeting up
with friends and family for a great time
here in Oregon’s Coastal Playground,”
said Chamber Executive Director
Bettina Hannigan.
The “rendezvous” theme will be ap-
parent throughout the Coronation as
the Rhody Court honors 111 years of
tradition as Florence’s longest-running
festival and the West Coast’s third old-
est flower festival.
By uniting new elements with old,
and combining community organiza-
tions with festival traditions, the
2018 Rhody Court Corona-
tion will bring a whole
new style to the annu-
al showcase.
This year will in-
clude performanc-
es by CROW’s
(Children’s Rep-
ertory of Oregon
Workshops) Flight
Dance Team.
The masters of cer-
emonies will be Ned and
Alicia Hickson, who will intro-
duce the court, interview the Senior
Princesses and Princes and keep the
audience entertained.
Ned has emceed the Rhody Court
Coronation four previous times, but
committee members thought it was
time to bring Alicia onstage to join
him.
“Meeting each other was the best
rendezvous of our lives,” Ned said. “We
decided it would be fun to host togeth-
er.”
The Hicksons have previously acted
together in the Holly Jolly Follies.
Judges for the coronation will be
Florence Mayor Joe Henry, Florence
First Citizen Rachel Pearson, past
Queen Rhododendra Kay Robertson,
Coast Radio host Wayne Sharpe and
honorary judge Diane Conlee. They
will score the Senior Courts on sever-
al aspects of the evening, such as the
talent and interview portions. Scoring
will also take into account participation
and button sales.
Seven Siuslaw High School students
make up the Senior Court this year.
Princesses are Thelma Gentry, Lainey
Goss, Alex Saindon, Andrea Sanchez
and Denielle VanWinkle. The two
princes are Trent Reavis and Colby Wa-
ters.
PHOTO COURTESY THE RHODODENDRON COURT COMMITTEE
The Junior Court is comprised of
Mapleton third-grader Abigail Galvan
Mendez and first-grader Aleeya Thom-
as, second-grader Jasmine Krause,
fourth-grader Kylee Stinger and
fifth-grader Brittney Adams, all from
Siuslaw.
“I wanted to be a Rhododendron
Princess because it is something that
always interested me,” Gentry said.
“It will also get me out of my comfort
zone.”
She dances ballet, and she recent-
ly performed a number in the Spring
Dance Showcase. She also enjoys pot-
tery, singing and her pets. After gradu-
ation, she plans to attend Oregon State
University’s (OSU) veterinary program.
Goss said she joined the court this
year “because I am passionate about my
community and would love the chance
to be involved in this tradition. … I am
incredibly grateful to have grown up in
such a wonderful, supportive commu-
nity and look forward to contributing
to its history.”
She is active in several sports, volun-
teer clubs and academic groups, and
is a student leader, photographer and
artist. After graduation, she plans to
attend OSU to study biohealth science.
For Saindon, joining the
court is stepping into a
family legacy that both
her parents started.
For several years,
her parents assist-
ed with the Rhody
Court,
allow-
ing Saindon the
chance to interact
with
community
ambassadors first-
hand.
“In the end, they became
people that I looked up to,” she
said. “I have always wanted to be that
person for the little Junior Princesses,
and becoming a Senior Court Princess
helps me fulfill that dream.”
Saindon is a student leader and vol-
unteer who has been involved with
CROW and theater. After graduation,
she plans to pursue a career in the
beauty industry.
Sanchez-Hernandez said, “I want to
use this opportunity as a way of closing
a chapter in my life. Florence has been
my home since I can remember — and
what would be a better send off than
participating in something so tradi-
tional to my hometown?”
She sings in choir, is a student leader
and enjoys working in group settings.
After graduation, she plans to dual
enroll at OSU and Linn-Benton Com-
munity College to study business and
receive her real estate license.
VanWinkle has been a part of the
Florence community since 2015. In
that time, she has been involved with
volunteer groups, two jobs and her
family, including her niece.
“When I lived in Kansas, I participat-
ed in Little Miss Rose Hill. Although I
love Oregon, I am excited to continue
participating in events like I used to. I
also get to work with the younger prin-
cesses, and I absolutely love children,”
she said.
After graduation, VanWinkle plans
to get certified in American Sign Lan-
guage and eventually pursue a career in
speech pathology. In the meantime, she
will study to become a certified dental
assistant.
The two Rhody Princes, Reavis and
Waters, also have their own reasons for
joining the 2018 Court.
Reavis is a legacy, as both his sis-
ter and grandmother were previously
crowned Queen Rhododendra.
“Being part of the Rhody Court will
not only help me attend college and
further my academic and athletic ca-
reer, it will give me an opportunity to
make my family proud and follow their
footsteps,” he said.
Reavis is a three-sport athlete and
student leader. After graduation, he
plans to study sports medicine and ex-
ercise science.
Waters said, “I feel my attitude and
leadership can set a great example for
my peers. I want to show how exciting
the future is and how important it is to
feel happy with what you’ve achieved
and have the strength to move on, set
goals and do great things. I hope to
share my dreams and successes with
the community as a whole.”
He enjoys athletics and playing pi-
ano, as well as game design and tech-
nology. After graduation, he plans to
major in clinical psychology and visual
communications.
See RHODY page A6
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