Newly crowned Rodeo Queen Samantha McDonald and other contestants recognized for raising more than $800,000
Western Americana was on display Saturday as the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Parade hit Broadway, where a newly crowned queen made her first official appearance hours after capturing the crown.
Boasting approximately 130 entries, the parade traveled south on Broadway, starting at Mill Street and ending at Enos Drive as part of the 82nd annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo.
Spectators lined both sides of Broadway, with multiple umbrellas serving as sunshades on the usually sunny, warm morning.
Righetti High School senior and recent Allan Hancock College graduate Samantha McDonald, sponsored by Children's Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County, captured the crown by raising $572,626.
Second place went to Rylee McGinley, who was sponsored by St. Joseph High School where she's a member of the class of 2025.
They, along with two others -- Bethany Gamino and her sponsor Kiwanis Club of Guadalupe, plus Brianna Hill and the Santa Maria High School Saints Football Boosters -- all raised $826,250.
The 2025 quartet pushed the total raised by contestants over decades for youth recreation and other programs to $18,245,604.
This marked the first time Children's Resource and Referral participated in the rodeo queen campaign.
After the crowning, the organization noted their candidate's "heart for service, dedication to community, and unstoppable drive."
"You didn't just ride for the crown -- you rode for a cause, and we couldn't be prouder to have you wear the title and represent CRR with such grace and purpose," the organization said on social media.
They also offered up praise for the other three contestants.
"To every princess in this year's campaign -- thank you. Your passion, hard work, and commitment to raising funds for your nonprofit organizations is nothing short of amazing. Each of you lit up the arena with your heart and determination, and the future is bright with leaders like you in it," Children's Resource and Referral said.
For decades, the organization has provided education, care and resource systems to children, their parents and caregivers, with a special emphasis on low-income and under-represented children and families.
On Saturday afternoon, parade organizers announced the following winners of awards:
Saturday marked the second-to-last performance for the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo, which this year expanded to five days to include the Xtreme Bulls tour.
That meant Wednesday night saw only bull riding in the arena, followed by four days with a full slate of competition.
The final performance starts at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Santa Maria Elks/Unocal Event Center. Gates will open at noon Sunday.