Next year, a Rodeo Queen will reign over the Chelan County Fair and Rodeo.

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Chelan County Fair and Rodeo is pleased to announce that starting in 2024, there will be the addition of a Rodeo Queen to represent and promote the annual County Fair. The timeline for interested individuals includes an online application process which is open until October 30th; mandatory attendance at a 6 p.m. orientation meeting on October 30th, followed by the Rodeo Queen Pageant held on November 12th. The Rodeo Queen will participate in a year of promotional events and activities, culminating in personal representation during the Chelan County Fair and Rodeo held September 5-8, 2024.

Applications for the position, which are available online, are being accepted until 5 p.m. on Oct. 30.

To be considered, applicants must:

  • Be between the ages of 17 and 23 years old.
  • Must be attending high school or recently graduated from high school.
  • Be a resident of either Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan or Grant counties.
  • Must have riding and horsemanship skills.
  • Be able to attend a mandatory orientation at 6 p.m. on Oct. 30 at the Tillicum Riders Club House, adjacent to the Chelan County Fairgrounds in Cashmere.

The rodeo queen pageant will be held on Nov. 12 at the Tillicum Riders Club House, with contestants judged in personal interview, horsemanship, modeling, speech presentation and impromptu questions.

Organizers are hoping to make the pageant an annual event, showcasing and honoring local young women with an enthusiasm to compete for the title. The 2024 queen will be presented with a variety of awards, sponsored items and royalty accessories to be worn during the year of her reign. She will participate in a year of community events, public speaking, parades, luncheons and rodeos while serving as a goodwill ambassador for the Chelan County Fair and Rodeo.

The rodeo queen does not replace the Chelan County Fair Ambassador program. Ambassadors are local young people who represent the fair at speaking engagements prior to and during the annual fair. However, the ambassador position will be reduced from two positions to one for 2024. The rodeo queen and fair ambassador will work alongside one another, promoting the fair and rodeo.

“Our rodeo is now sanctioned with the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, or PRCA, so we are hopeful that having a rodeo queen out promoting our rodeo at other events will draw more attention to the Chelan County Fair and Rodeo,” said Kristen Mattson, a member of the Chelan County Fair Board and the Chelan County Rodeo Queen Committee.

Mattson also hopes the new queen shares her knowledge with the community to help people better understand the sport of rodeo.

“Rodeo has always felt like family to me,” she said. “Everyone who I’ve met through rodeo have become good friends; they are always willing to lend a helping hand when needed. My hope is the rodeo queen is a conduit for sharing that rodeo family and experience with our community.”

The 2024 Chelan County Fair is Sept. 5-8.