Queen candidates (L-R) Taylor Ayers, Megan Kelly and Jerian Ashley.

TONASKET – The 75th Tonasket Founders Day Rodeo Queen Coronation will be on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Tonasket Eagles.

The queen candidates this year are Jerian Ashley, Taylor Ayers and Megan Kelly. At 10 a.m. on Saturday the three will compete in the riding portion of the competition, then, that evening, they will have their personal interviews, give their speeches and answer impromptu questions.

Ashley is a 17-year-old junior at Tonasket High School. She is the daughter of Susan Cooksey and Larry Ashley. Ashley lives on the family ranch at Palmer Lake with her mother while her father lives in Loon Lake with her 15-year-old sister, Jessica, her stepmother, Nomi, and her little brother, Levi. Ashley’s older sister, Kelsey Gallas, is attending Spokane Community College this fall.

Ayers is also a 17-year-old junior at THS. She is the daughter of Jason and Tammy Ayers and she has grown up in the ranching community with her family.

Kelly is a 19-year-old 2009 graduate of THS. She is the daughter of Mike and Pam Kelly of Loomis. She currently attends Wenatchee Valley College in Omak where she is pursuing her nursing degree. Kelly’s activities include working and training horses, spending time with her family and working at North Valley Extended Care in Tonasket as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant.

Ayers’ activities include volleyball and basketball, she is a member of the Tonasket FFA Chapter, the T-Club, Link Crew and OVTPA. She said that whether she is judging livestock or helping her fellow younger classmates, the clubs she is involved in have brought her close to a wider range of her classmates and brought her new experiences.

Ashley is active in sports such as basketball, cheerleading, softball and track. She is also a member of the FFA club, she is an ASB class representative and she was the drum major of the THS Marching Band for three years. She is a member of the Commancheros Rodeo Club and the current president of the Range Riders 4-H Club.

“I love the outdoors, reading, writing poetry, playing and listening to music, spending time with my family and friends and watching comedy movies,” Ashley said. “Most of all, I love to ride, compete and go to rodeos with our horses. I want to be Miss Tonasket Rodeo 2010 because representing the community and promoting our 75th Founders Day Rodeo throughout North Central Washington and British Columbia would undeniably be a dream come true.”

Kelly said she desires to become the Miss Tonasket Rodeo Queen because she feels that the community of Tonasket is like her extended family and she cares for it greatly. Kelly takes great pride in the community that helped bring her up and make her the person she is today.

“My whole life I’ve grown up in the ranching community and it has been a huge influence in my life,” Ayers said. “The hard work that I have put in and the lessons I have learned have made me a better person and an example among my peers. Becoming the Tonasket Founders Day Rodeo Queen would give me an exciting once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would put me in a position to be an example and be more involved in our great community.”

For more information about the Tonasket Founders Day Rodeo Queen coronation, contact Kristi Rothrock at (509) 486-4093.