Two locals will represent the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo as royalty next year after a competitive selection process that showcased the depth of talent in the community.
Hallie Olsen, 19, earned the 2026 queen title while Ashlyn Terry, 13, was crowned princess. Both will be officially coronated in January to begin their reign.
Olsen, who originally hails from Alsea but has lived in Philomath for the past five years, is currently pursuing a degree in accounting at Western Oregon University.
“It feels so amazing — I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life,” Olsen said.
Olsen added that it was a great competition and was obviously pleased with the outcome.
“They were very good; I definitely had a run for my money,” she said. “I love each and every one of those girls … It was very stressful and I’m glad it’s over.”
For Terry, a Philomath native heading into eighth grade, winning the princess title fulfilled a childhood dream. The competition proved particularly challenging because she had to go up against a close friend, Charley Free-Snyder.
“Me and Charley have always been friends and we’ve always been rodeoing together and have seen each other at events,” Terry said. “She shows steers with me so it was really tough going against someone that’s also personal to me in my life. Overall, I don’t think this ruined our relationship — I still love Charley no matter what.”
Both winners identified the speech portion as the most demanding aspect of the competition. Contestants must deliver a memorized 2-1/2-minute speech without notes or props, followed by impromptu questions designed to test their ability to think quickly under pressure.
“I’ve done countless 4-H events where I’ve had to speak off of slideshows and give 11-minute speeches and all that type of stuff except the pressure was real this time,” Terry said. “From hearing from everyone, apparently I owned that stage and I really showed my confidence in my speech and modeling.”
The competition drew particular praise from organizers for featuring an all-local field.
“Every single one of our contestants this year were all Philomath girls, which is just absolutely incredible,” said Philomath Frolic and Rodeo board president Alyssa Collins, a past queen. “It’s good to see that program flourishing again and we’re hoping to continue that for many years to come.”
The strong turnout reflects the program’s success in developing young women through its tiered system.
“As a past queen, we love to see this group of girls continue to go through and we’re hoping that by having a junior and then a princess and then a queen, we can help these girls move through so that we can bring in the next generation of girls from Philomath,” Collins said.
Both Olsen and Terry will spend the coming months preparing for their official roles, which will begin with their January coronation ceremony.