It’s year 70 for the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo, and while the rodeo itself doesn’t take place until the last week in July, it’s not a rodeo without a queen.

This year’s coronation dinner took place on the evening of April 18 at the Joseph Community Center. The dinner followed on the heels of the year’s second competition of the year for the CJD crown, held at the Harley Tucker Memorial Rodeo Grounds.

Jesse-Ellen Woodhead, Marli Tracy-Mallory and Addie Kilgore competed for the title. Judges graded the contestants on their horseback riding skills as well as rodeo ticket sales and public speaking. The announcement of the winner took place at the coronation dinner.

Tickets to the dinner sold out and the community center was packed with attendants. Along with the queen coronation, the event featured the announcement of the CJD Parade Grand Marshal, Judy Bothum, who was selected for her continuous support of the CJD rodeo, and role of designer for the rodeo court.

Diane Witherrite was selected as the recipient of the John Justin Standard of the West award. Only 100 of the approximately 675 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association-sanctioned rodeos receive the award. Witherrite received the award for her volunteer work with the rodeo.

Included in the evening, of course, is the parade of rodeo court members from the past, for as much as anything, rodeo is a sport that honors both its traditions and history.

After the three contestants conducted a western fashion show for the crowd, the moment of truth came with the announcement of the winner: Addie Kilgore. As it turned out, Kilgore was one of only 12 previous queens who won all of the contestant categories, including breaking the all-time ticket sales record. She and her mother, Sherri Kilgore, are the eleventh mother and daughter who have participated in the event.

After the coronation, a brief auction of rodeo memorabilia ensued, after which the dance started, featuring the band “Skyline.” Kilgore danced with her father, Wes Kilgore, for the first number or two.

Kilgore, 16, a sophomore at Joseph Charter School, sat down for a brief interview with the Chieftain on the following morning to discuss her road to the crown. She is very personable and possessed with a pleasant self-confidence. For example, during the speech competition, a malfunctioning microphone did not faze her in the slightest. She discarded the microphone and with the grace of Demosthenes, finished her speech a capella, in a well-articulated voice, which delighted the crowd.

When chairs could not be found to conduct the morning interview, she suggested sitting on the sidewalk curb. “I’m a Wallowa County girl. I’m not afraid of a little dirt,” she said with a laugh.

Kilgore spoke of her lifelong fascination with the CJD Rodeo Court, and her desire to be a contestant since the age of 5. “I’m the ninth girl of my family to go through this, and I’ve always looked up to them and thought ‘they look so pretty all the time,’” Kilgore said.

With a personality suited for the competition, Kilgore said she did not find any part of it overly difficult. “I really want to do this, and the public speaking is something I’ve always loved, and it’s a passion. I love riding, so it’s not really hard either,” Kilgore said.

Ticket sales proved to be the most time-consuming part of the competition for Kilgore, but it paid off in spades for her. “I broke Kylie Willis’ record. I think I sold a little over $37,000 worth,” Kilgore said.

Next on Kilgore’s agenda is getting busy on schoolwork and riding her horse. Her next event as queen of the court is an appearance at the Spokane Lilac Festival Parade on May 16.

For the future, Kilgore is thinking of competing at higher levels of rodeo queen competition. “I’d like to compete for Pendleton, but it’s a lot of money. I really want to become a Tuckerette,” Kilgore said, referring to the CJD equestrian drill team.

Still undecided on what she wants for a career, Kilgore is thinking about criminal justice. She also cites teaching and the medical field as other interests.

Kilgore confessed she has trouble handling one thing in her life: time. “I’m a three-sport athlete, so it’s hard to manage sports with court, but court comes first, because it’s what I want to do.”