Another group of teens look to become Sequim royalty.
Brayden Baritelle, Caroline Caudle, Emma Rhodes, and Tilly Woods seek seats on the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s royalty court, including the top spot of king or queen. They’ll participate in the 2026 Royalty Ambassador Scholarship Pageant at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 at Sequim High School Auditorium, 533 N. Sequim Ave.
Tickets are available from contestants, at the First Federal Sequim Avenue branch, and the event door. Cost is $15 for adults and $5 for those 10 and younger.
The royalty will represent Sequim and the festival, going into its 131st year, accompanying the festival float at festivals and events.
After one year of service, the Royal Ambassador Court will each receive a scholarship with the king/queen receiving $1,250 and prince/princesses $1,000.
The pageant will be emceed by Guy Horton and also honor the outgoing royalty.
The Sequim Irrigation Festival is set for May 1-9 and remains Washington’s longest continuously running festival. Read more about it at irrigationfestival.com.
Brayden Baritelle
Brayden Baritelle
Parents: Susan and Andre Baritelle
Sponsor: Shappie Agency – Farmers Insurance
Platform: Food insecurity
Creative display: Discussion on woodworking
Brayden Baritelle has lived in Sequim all his life and attends Sequim High School. His best memory of the festival is going to Family Fun Day as a boy and enjoying it a lot.
He signed up for royalty because it sounded like a fun experience and he hopes to add it to his list of accomplishments in life. Brayden said he’s hoping to be crowned king because he has a friendly rivalry with last year’s prince, Malachi Byrne.
His hobbies and activities include woodworking, volunteering, extracurricular activities at school, and scouting. He’s currently a Star rank in Scouting America, formerly Boy Scouts of America, and plans to get his Eagle rank in the coming year with plans to install a produce washing station at the Sequim Food Bank for his required Eagle project.
His platform is focused on food security at the food bank where he’s volunteered for about four years. He hopes to bring in more volunteers, and awareness to the level of need in the community.
Brayden plans to attend Washington State University to pursue a finance degree.
Caroline Caudle
Caroline Caudle
Parents: Natalie and Michael Caudle
Sponsor: Olympic Psychiatric Care
Platform: Rooted in Reading
Creative display: Discussing cell biology
Caroline Caudle has lived in Sequim for about a year-and-a-half after moving to the area to avoid Texas’ hot weather and to be closer to her mom’s side of the family. She attends Sequim High School and has enjoyed watching the festival’s Grand Parade and seeing the cool cars, floats, decor, and people in fun costumes.
Caroline has participated in another pageant in Texas where she was a princess in the Lampasas Snow Queen Pageant. For Sequim’s pageant, Caroline said she doesn’t necessarily want to be queen because she finds being a princess just as honorable. “I’m fine with getting anything, and technically I’m somewhat of the princess of my family,” she joked.
Her hobbies include reading classic literature and psychology books, running cross country, and playing tennis.
Caroline’s platform is “Rooted in Reading” where she wants to read to the community, including seniors in assisted living facilities and children in schools.
She wants to attend a prestigious school like Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or Oxford to pursue either a career in criminal justice or as a biologist or lawyer.
Emma Rhodes
Emma Rhodes
Parents: Michelle and Jason Rhodes
Sponsor: Diamond Roofing
Platform: Water safety
Creative display: CPR demonstration
Emma Rhodes has lived in Sequim her entire life and attends Olympic Peninsula Academy (OPA).
Emma fondly remembers attending the Children’s Parade when it was in downtown Sequim and she and her brother dressing up in cute outfits to match the festival float’s steamboat theme. She also had a carriage for her American Girl doll.
As for becoming queen, Emma said the queen’s job is to represent the community in the best way possible and that any one of the candidates could serve well as king or queen. She also thinks it would be amazing to follow in the footsteps of her friend Isabella Williams, who served as queen.
Emma’s activities and hobbies include being a volunteer for the festival, YMCA, and OPA parent-teacher association, a swim instructor, a lifeguard, a member of the Sequim High School swim and bowling teams, gardening, and video games.
Her platform is bringing awareness to water safety because she feels it’s very important, especially in Sequim with so much open water.
She wants to attend either the University of Victoria, the University of British Columbia, or Western Washington University to become either a pediatrician or medical examiner.
Tilly Woods
Tilly Woods
Parents: Shannon and Christopher Woods
Sponsor: Woods Guitar Service
Platform: RISE Rescue Alliance
Creative display: Singing “Somewhere That’s Green” from “Little Shop of Horrors”
Tilly Woods moved to Sequim from Port Orchard five years ago and now attends Sequim High School.
Last year she participated as float support for her sister (Princess Roxy Woods) at the Marysville Strawberry Festival where she met and befriended fellow contestant Emma Rhodes and really enjoyed the experience.
She hasn’t thought specifically about becoming queen but thinks it could be cool. Tilly said she’s participating at the encouragement of her family and sister.
“I started coming to these practices, and Roxy started helping me prepare, and it was a really great experience to just hang out with my sister and have something that connected us especially since it’s her senior year, and she’s gonna be moving,” Tilly said.
Tilly’s hobbies and activities include playing the piano, guitar and ukulele, singing in the school choir, performing in theater, bowling, and swimming.
She also leads an annual fundraiser selling lemonade, popcorn and balloon animals to support pet adoptions. Her platform is to support RISE Rescue Alliance, a dog adoption group.
Tilly plans to go to the University of Washington or Oregon State University to become a teacher.
