Beka Adams is Walla Wall Fair, Frontier Days Royalty

WAITSBURG -Waitsburg senior Beka Adams' childhood dream of serving as Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days Royalty - a reality she's spent the last year fulfilling - culminates this week at the Walla Walla County Fair. With only a few post-fair events on the itinerary, Adams is amazed at how quickly the year has flown by and how much she has learned.

Adams earned her spot on the court last October. Returning home from a National FFA Convention in Indianapolis the night before, Adams rose the next morning to attend court tryouts. Contestants must submit applications and resumes prior being judged on performing a riding pattern, a three-minute in­terview while astride their horse, and a 20-minute speech. "I would practice my speech at the hotel during breaks at the FFA Convention," said Beka.

Since winning her spot -- with her beloved ap­pendix Quarter Horse, Moose -- Beka has spent the last year serving as Princess alongside fellow Princess Kendra Torrey of Milton-Freewater and Queen Kindall Cooper of Pomeroy. Through previ­ous courts, 4-H and FFA, the girls already knew each other, which made it easy to work together.

For Adams, daughter of Lanny and Ann Adams of Waitsburg, riding is a family affair. "I practically grew up on the back of a horse," said Adams. She competed in her first horse show at the Walla Walla Fair when she was five and has continued to compete in a variety of events since.

"I've been involved in the fair since I've been little," said Adams. "I see being on court as a way to give back to the community -- a way to say 'thank you' for all the things the community has done for me." And give back, they have. By the end of the season the court will have attended over 86 events.

The trio has traveled extensively, representing the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days in a variety of ways, from playing Bingo with residents at the Odd Fellows and visiting nursing homes to expressing thanks for the support of service clubs like Kiwanis and Rotary that volunteer time to make the fair a success.

While Adams has been on courts before - as 2010 Days of Real Sport Queen and 2011 Dayton Days Queen - she says this court has been a much larger commitment, involving more event appearances and travel. "It's a larger community, so everything hap­pens on a larger scale," she said.

Event appearances are organized by the Royalty Director Steve Harvey and Royalty Advisors, Cindy Granger and Patti Litchfield. Coordinating three girls from three cities, all with varying schedules can be a challenge. "I've learned a lot of com­munication skills," said Adams.

Adams explained that the director and advisors take care of all the event logistics from schedules to attire, to what the girls are to say. Even the court colors, theme and outfits are selected by the board and advisors.

Adams says each girl has eight shirts, three pairs of jeans, two full sets of jewelry and several accessories, which they can mix and match for a variety of looks. The court does three large fundraisers to help pay for their outfits. The rest is funded by sponsors and groups or individuals who donate items, like the purses and crowns that were given this year.

"Our chaps are super- personalized," said Adams. "The bottom of each chap has a horse and rider that is customized to look like the horse that we ride. The hair on my rider is even tinted dark to look like my hair. There are flowers painted on the hip section, which are each girl's favorite flower. Mine are lillies, Kendra has tulips and Kindall has roses. There are even W's - for Walla Walla - hidden in the yokes. Holly Jones makes the chaps, yokes and saddle pads and does an amazing job."

Each girl is required to be attended by a chaperone, usually a parent, who takes care of the horse and any other needs that arise. "We couldn't do it without our parents," said Adams. "They do all the work. We just show up."

Adams says her favorite part of this year's experience was the trip to the Reno Ro- deo, which was a completely different environment than what she's been exposed to before. While there, the court assisted with a handicapped children's rodeo, which was a special high- light for Adams who intends to study equine recreational therapy at Eastern Kentucky University.

"In recreational therapy, kids start out on the ground learning to halter and brush the horse, which builds fine motor skills. Then they learn to ride which is a fun way to build up muscle coordina- tion. It's also relaxing," ex- plained Adams. "Horses are like dogs in that they build a bond with people. It can really build a sense of strength and independence in a child to realize that such a large animal is depending on them for their care."

The most challenging aspect of her reign? The hair. "We're required to wear 'full hair'," said Adams. "It took forever to figure out how to get mine to curl and hold. It still takes an hour-and-a-half to do it before an appear- ance."

Adams says she intends to set aside her crown in Oc- tober, when the new court is selected, but hopes to stay in- volved in the court, possibly as a future advisor or even director. "It really teaches you a lot about yourself," said Adams. "It opens your eyes to the community and everything they do for you."

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