Substitute steps in for royalty competition

The three-way royalty competition leading up to this year's July 4 celebrations has had a change of cast, Wrangell Chamber of Commerce announced last week.

A regular feature of the local festivities, royalty candidates sell food and tickets to raise funds, which get divided between the Chamber's Independence Day fund and the contestants. Generally, contestants are high schoolers or young adults pledging their share toward a particular goal, such as continued education costs. Each year, the candidate that raises the most gets coronated ahead of the July 4 parade.

The competition gives participants little more than a month to sell their tickets, with food booths being a big source of fundraising. Candidates don't do all this alone, and managing a booth requires teams of supporters and sponsors to manage, as well as a considerable amount of time and effort.

A week into the official fundraising, candidate McKinley Bosdell had decided to withdraw herself from the competition. With the infrastructure for her candidacy already in place, the Chamber announced KayDee Howell would be stepping in in her stead.

"To raise money for next year," she explained of her plans. "I'm going to be moving to Wyoming here soon, before the summer's over. I'm going to get a job and find a school."

Howell would like to pursue a degree in business accounting, expressing an interest in mathematics. A calendar for her food booth and planned activities through the rest of June has been distributed, and a "KayDee for Queen 2018" page set up on Facebook.

Fellow competitors for this year's competition include Draven Golding and Robbie Marshall. The booths for all three are located at the corner of Front and Lynch streets, inside the pavilion.