The Philomath Frolic and Rodeo is coming up fast with the celebration scheduled for July 11-13. Seventy years ago, the first-ever Frolic was held on June 12-13 and from the inaugural year, the selection of a queen has been a major part of the festivities.
In those early years, the celebration was called the Philomath Buckaroo and Logger’s’ Frolic. The queen competition was just that — a contest between the candidates with the crown going to the girl who sold the most tickets to Frolic events.
Beginning in the second year, the outgoing queen would place the crown upon the winner during a coronation dance. Of course, there was no previous winner for the first year with Philomath Mayor Gordon Larsen handling the honors.
Here then, our the first five Frolic queens:
1. Jani Ryker (1954)
The first-ever queen to be crowned was Jani Ryker, an 18-year-old Philomath High School student. Ryker was introduced as the queen on June 11, 1954, at a special event held in the VFW Hall. Other candidates in the inaugural year were Marion Couey, Lois Garriott, June Marstall and Mary Lou Daubenspeck.
2. Karen Hamm (1955)
In the second year, PHS sophomore Karen Hamm won the queenship with the announcement occurring at a June 10, 1955, event in the PHS gymnasium. The other queen candidates were Jean Broadley, Pot Mitchell and Carolyn Dow.
3. Shirley Garriott (1956)
The third annual crowning of the Philomath Buckaroo and Logger’s Frolic queen occurred at a coronation ball on June 2, 1956, at the Phil-O-Rink. The other three queen candidates were Shirley Rife, Shirley Reed and Betty Harris. The coronation event featured music by the Toe Tappers orchestra.
4. Donna Lee Koehler (1957)
Earning the title of queen at a June 1 coronation dance was 17-year-old Donna Lee Koehler, a junior at Philomath High School. Koehler, who loved horseback riding and collecting miniature horse statues, won over three other candidates — Nancy Smith, Barbara Johnston and May Moore.
5. Linda Castle (1958)
Linda Castle, an 18-year-old PHS senior, was crowned as the queen at a coronation dance on May 31 at the PHS gym. Castle earned the distinction over three other candidates — Roberta Bennett, Sharon Simpson and Inez Klutzbach. The dance featured the music of The Notables.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
