This year's Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Queen contestants were announced Friday morning.
This year, there are four young ladies running for the title.
Avery Nelson is representing St. Joseph High School, Chloe LeMaire is representing NSBC United Way, Faith Totorica is representing Santa Maria Kiwanis Noontime, and Isabelle Gamino is representing the Kiwanis Club of Guadalupe.
The contest is a fundraising competition, with the money raised by the contestants benefiting local youth recreation programs.
Last year's Queen contestants raised more than $400,000.
Faith Debrun, the 2020 Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Queen representing VTC Enterprises, was responsible for raising nearly $246,000 of that total.
"It was a real honor just to have the opportunity to run and then to have the opportunity to be queen and now to represent the Elks as their 2020 Santa Maria Elks Queen, it's a honor and I'm super proud of it," she said.
Debrun shared some advice for this year's contestants.
"Always staying positive, always having a positive mindset is really helpful, staying motivated, realizing that at the end of the day what you're doing for your community and what you're doing for your organization is something really incredible and something you really should be proud of," she said.
Since the first Elks Rodeo was held in the 1940s, the Queen Contest has raised more than $14 million for local youth programs.
This year's winner will be crowned on September 3.
The 78th Elks Rodeo and Parade is scheduled for September 2-5, 2021.
The event is typically held in June, but the Elks Recreation Board of Directors said it was being scheduled later in the year for public safety related to the pandemic.
