2018 Rhody Royalty announced

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It was the moment everyone attending the 83rd annual Rhododendron Festival royalty coronation had been waiting for: the announcement of who would be the 2018 queen and princesses.

Rhody Royalty candidates Lacy Bishop and Skyanna Iardella were the first to be announced as princesses at the event, which was held at the Chimacum High School auditorium Feb. 17.

Then, Desirae Kudronowicz was announced as the third princess, and the fourth candidate, Ashley Rosser, realized she would be queen.

Rosser moved her hand to her face, as if to wipe away a tear.

Members of the audience whistled and applauded as Rosser knelt to receive her crown and robe, and then read from a scroll: “I hereby declare the official beginning of the 2018 Rhododendron Festival season.”

IF PORT TOWNSEND WERE SEATTLE

Prior to the queen being named, the royalty candidates gave prepared speeches about how Jefferson County would be different if Port Townsend had become the main seaport of the Pacific Northwest instead of Seattle.

Rosser said Port Townsend was like stepping into a time capsule, and had it become the big seaport of the Northwest, “we may not have the opportunity to experience history in such an amazing way. Our beautiful Victorian buildings may not have survived the expansion of civilization and the demolition that follows it.”

The breathtaking scenery, she said, would also likely be gone.

“If Port Townsend had continued to be what is now Seattle, there is the possibility that our beautiful landscapes may have melted into dirty highways. Instead of rolling hills and fields of grass, we would have rolling cars and traffic jams. Instead of giant spruce trees lining streets, we would have giant skyscrapers on every single block,” Rosser said.

“I’m thankful Port Townsend did not became a successful seaport, because my community is perfect the way it is,” Rosser said.

Candidate Bishop said green fields, old barns and fresh local produce are some of the symbolic features of Jefferson County.

“But what if instead of those things, there were tall skyscrapers, city blocks and busy streets? That’s what Port Townsend was supposed to be, a city such as Seattle,” Bishop said.

In the booming late-1800s, Port Townsend was believed to be destined to be the “New York of the West,” but a railroad’s bankruptcy ended that dream.

Had the railroad been built, “the rich agricultural lands of today would be city blocks,” Bishop said. Instead, the area has maintained a strong sense of community.

“We treat each other with respect and kindness,” Bishop said, citing her fifth-generation family dairy farm.

“People will recognize me and feel connected because of my deep roots here. Everyone knows each other, allowing our community to feel like one big family. That connection wouldn’t be the same if our country roads were bustling city streets,” Bishop said.

Iardella wondered if the Rhododendron Festival would even exist had Port Townsend become the Northwest’s great seaport.

Had history been different, Port Townsend wouldn’t be the amazing small, Victorian-era town it is today, she said. There would be a larger population, and many trees would have been cut down.

“There would probably be more school shootings, neighborhood shootings and more people who do not have houses. And it’s all very unsafe because of the things that happen today, like [the] Florida [school shooting], which is depressing and sad,” Iardella said.

“I would be pretty devastated … I love our little community, our Victorian town,” Iardella said.

But, she said, being a big city like Seattle wouldn’t be all bad: “If Jefferson County became [as big as] Seattle, it would give more things for the community to do. Like there’s more restaurants like the Cheesecake Factory. That was a really fun restaurant,” Iardella said.

She appreciates the shopping scene in Seattle and also likes the flowers that were sold at Pike Place Market. The famous gum wall is “pretty gross, but it’s cool,” Iardella said.

Like Bishop, Kudronowicz imagined the county would be covered with massive buildings.

“Close your eyes and imagine a city full of skyscrapers, bright lights, stores on every corner and taxis whenever we need one. This is what our rustic, beautiful Port Townsend would be if it ended up being the seaport of the northwest that Seattle is today,” Kudronowicz said.

“If Jefferson County had taken on the role as being the seaport of the Northwest, there would be many factories, businesses would be thriving and housing would be very hard to find. Port Townsend and Jefferson County wouldn’t be this gorgeous community we have grown to love and cherish.”

The whole area would be a metropolis: “It would stretch far beyond what it is now. This Victorian-era town and close-knit community would be insane, with waits in traffic for hours just trying to get to work. Everyone wouldn’t know everyone, and the Rhododendron Festival may have never been established. Port Townsend is one of the last great Victoria-era towns in the nation, and it blows my mind that we could have never been this town that we are today due to a railroad,” Kudronowicz said.

“Growing up in Chimacum, it really seemed like there was nothing ever to do,” Kudronowicz said, pausing with a comic sigh. But then she said she was grateful it was not a huge city.

SHOWCASING THEIR TALENTS

During the “creative displays” portion of the vent, Bishop presented a slide show of how she raised her cow Sawdust for six years and showed her at the fair.

Iardella dressed in her grandfather’s U.S. Marine Corps uniform and performed “God Bless the U.S.A.” in sign language.

Rosser, dressed in a shimmering silver dress, performed Johann Sebastian Bach’s Arioso on her viola.

Kudronowicz showed photographs of her experience as a demolition derby driver, which she first began doing at age 12 in a 1984 Datsun.

“I had no idea how to drive a stick shift car, so I pretty much just learned to dump the clutch and go,” Kudronowicz said.

ON THE SPOT

During the “impromptu question” portion of the program, each candidate answered a randomly selected question. Bishop was asked to define what success is to her.

“My definition of success is when you’re happy doing what you love and you’re successful at it,” Bishop said.

Iardella was asked what her advice to a little girl would be.

“Always keep smiling, keep your head held up high and forget what everybody else says,” Iardella said.

Kudronowicz was asked that if she could meet any historical person, who would that person be and why did she want to meet him or her.

“It would be John F. Kennedy, because he’s pretty attractive,” Kudronowicz said, as the audience laughed at the quip. “And, to say the least, he’s one of my favorite presidents,” she said.

Rosser was asked how she is a role model for younger teenagers.

“Because I have always been extremely involved in my school, such as student government, Students for Sustainability, mock trial and many other activities. And I hope that by doing those activities, I have been able to inspire others,” Rosser said.