Four teens will represent Sequim either as queen or as a princess following the upcoming Sequim Irrigation Festival Royalty Scholarship Pageant.

Contestants will share creative displays, answer impromptu questions, and perform for judges at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24 in Sequim High School’s Auditorium, 533 N. Sequim Ave.

Tickets are available in advance from contestants and at the First Federal Sequim Avenue branch; and at the event door. Cost is $15 for adults and $5 for 10 and younger.

As tradition, royalty represent Sequim at community events and parades, with the queen receiving a $1,250 scholarship and each princess a $1,000 scholarship at the end of a year.

The Irrigation Festival celebrates its 129th year this year with the festival set for May 3-11. It remains Washington state’s longest continuing festival.

Read more about upcoming events at irrigationfestival.com.

Royalty candidates

Photo courtesy Keith Ross/Keith’s Frame of Mind Kailah Blake

Kailah Blake

Family: Parents Izumi Noda and Owen Blake, one sibling

Sponsor: Blake Tile & Stone

Platform: Beach clean up day

Creative Display: Displaying her artwork

Growing up in a family of artists, Kailah said she learned to harness her creativity from the age of 3. She explored many ways to do this and settled on digital art and painting as her passions. Kailah plans to pursue a career in the art field after acquiring a degree in graphic design. She also loves being in the kitchen, cooking and baking a variety of dishes for the people around her.

Kailah spent many days of her childhood at local beaches like Jamestown Beach, the Dungeness Spit, and Port Williams. She has collected many fond memories such as taking walks, kayaking, and having picnics with friends and family. This connection is why she chose Beach Cleanup Day as her platform.

Kailah said she’s wanted to be on royalty since she was 5. She was the button contest runner-up and her brother was a winner so she was able to see the royalty close up and personal.

She loved the Kids Parade and one year dressed as Dorothy and her brother as the Cowardly Lion and they won a blue ribbon.

Kailah said the festival is important to her because it honors the pioneers of the past and present in a small town “yee-haw” sort of way.

Photo courtesy Keith Ross/Keith’s Frame of Mind Ariya Goettling

Ariya Goettling

Family: Parents Nicole and Daniel Goettling, two siblings

Sponsor: Bibity Bobity – A Kid’s Place

Platform: Humane Society

Creative Display: Displaying her artwork

Ariya lives in Sequim with her father Daniel, mother Nicole and brother Danny. When Ariya is not doing schoolwork or cheerleading, she said you can often find her tucked away working on many different forms of art. She has a sharp eye for detail and has spent countless hours perfecting her craft.

Ariya plans to attend the University of Washington to earn a degree in business which she plans to use when she pursues a career in the beauty industry.

Ariya has a passion for traveling and animals. Her goal is to visit as many countries as she can in her lifetime. Her dream vacation is a trip to Greece to see the famous cats that roam the city.

Ariya’s love for animals led her to choose helping the Humane Society as her platform.

Ariya said she wants to be royalty because her older sister was friends with several of the royalty, and she watched how much fun they were having and she’s continued to want to be a part of it since then.

Each year, Ariya said she loves to see all the floats and the royalty during the Grand Parade. She loves the festival is a celebration of the community.

Photo courtesy Keith Ross/Keith’s Frame of Mind Ashlynn Northaven

Ashlynn Northaven

Family: Parents Becky Northaven and John Graham, one sibling

Sponsor: Sequim Electronics

Platform: Mental Health Fair

Creative Display: Displaying her love of baking

With her older sister Kellan and her parents Becky and John, Ashlynn moved nine years ago onto her family farm. Her favorite four-legged animal is her donkey named Peppermint. She said the farm has helped her learn many creative and social skills when she joined 4-H. She found that to this day she is using every skill she has learned.

Her platform is mental health awareness. Growing up, Ashlynn said she was surrounded by people affected by mental health in negative ways, so she wants to create a safe place for people to learn and talk about mental health.

She was encouraged by good friend Fred, a prince for the 128th festival, to try out for royalty. Ashlynn said she especially enjoys the Grand Parade because she likes to see her friends in it and she fondly remembers dressing as an inflatable chicken one year.

She said she feels the festival brings everyone together, such as with the downtown merchants and their Passport Program. Ashlynn said she would go from store to store and buy something so she could get a stamp.

Photo courtesy Keith Ross/Keith’s Frame of Mind Sophia Treece

Sophia Treece

Family: Parents Kate and Greg Treece, two siblings

Sponsor: Little Shop of Hairdos

Platform: A Royal Hike with 5 Acre School

Creative Display: Comedy monologue

Sophia has lived in Sequim since moving with her family at age 7 from Ohio. She says she couldn’t be happier. While she does miss the rest of her family there, Sequim’s nature, the community, and the friends she has now have all been worth it, she said.

Sophia has always been artistic, and her true passion of acting was revealed when she was in the second grade after seeing her older sister in a production of “Sleeping Beauty.” It has been a part of her ever since, she said.

When she was 10, her little sister Libby was born and her love for working with children has grown stronger ever since. This led her to choose A Royal Hike with 5-Acre School as her platform.

She decided to try out for royalty after Skylar, a current festival princess, recommended it to her, and once she found out who was trying out she thought she would have a lot of fun with the group.

Sophia said she loves going to see the Grand Parade with her little sister and seeing friends in the parade, too.

The festival brings excitement to the area that she likes. Sophia said she feel the energy it creates around the community. She also enjoys the High School Operetta.