Past Royalty

(L-R):  Co-Attendant Kamrie Bird, Miss Tooele City Kennedi Drake, Co-Attendant Megan Montague

Kennedi Drake was crowned Miss Tooele City 2023 in what was the largest contestant count in the history of the pageant. Twelve contestants entered this year. Megan Montague and Kamrie Bird were selected as the attendants. Kennedi was also selected by the contestants and volunteers for the “Spirit of Miss Tooele City” award. Other awards presented included Brylee Johnson receiving the “Rookie Recognition Award” and Braxtynn Barlow receiving the “Mayor’s Community Pride Award.”

The theme was “America the Beautiful” and for the On-stage Communications portion of the event, contestants were asked to honor someone that they feel make our City more beautiful. Kennedi honored Crystal Lawrence, Megan honored Leah Lorton, and Kamrie honored Charity Duersch. Others honored by our contestants included: Jennifer Hinton, Rommel Cruz, Robyn Feldmann, Pam Emmons, Eric Mourtgos, Chris Sloan, David Giles, Lars Smith, and Gordon Woods.

Tooele Valley Academy of Dance choreographed and presented a special ballet dance routine to “America the Beautiful” featuring our outgoing Miss Tooele City Hannah Sheppard. 

For talents, Kennedi presented a song in sign language, Megan a ballroom jive dance routine, and Kamrie a lyrical dance routine.

The royalty started their year of service with the traditional 4^th of July activities: flag retirement ceremony, karaoke, BBQ, Corvette Car Show, concert, fireworks, and parades. The royalty also attended the Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Attendants Kamrie and Megan also had the opportunity to attend the Special Needs Rodeo conducted by the Bit-N-Spur as part of their rodeo events. The Days of ’47 parade was another highlight with Kamrie excused to participate in an event with her college dance team.

Little Warriors Camp at Camp Wapiti again proved to be a favorite service event for the 2023 royalty. Meeting and interacting with Gold Star Families is always a humbling reminder of the sacrifices made for freedom. The day included partnering with little campers to ride the zip line, crafts, crowning of camp princesses, and food. Cowboy Ken again interviewed the royalty for his podcast highlighting the support provided by Tooele City for the event.

The Punishment at the Peak Demolition Derby was again a great service opportunity. The royalty was responsible for presenting the trophies and awards, as well as taking photos. They also enjoy participating in and encouraging riders in the Power Wheels derby event.

The summer ended with the Tooele County School District Back to School Community Closet. Kennedi described this event as the highlight of her year. An estimated 1,000 people lined up in the heat of summer to receive free back-to-school supplies such as backpacks, paper, folders, shoes, pants, and shirts. For over three hours, Kennedi and Megan manned the denim and shirt stations where children gave them their size and they held up options for the children to select from. Kennedi recalls one child saying, “Wow, I get two pair of new pants for school?” The event was so well attended that it was cancelled for 2024 and families were serviced by appointment with the school district personnel. 

Kennedi didn’t let the fact that her schooling at Utah Tech was four hours away from Tooele. She took advantage of every opportunity she had to serve the City. She recognized she only gets one year to serve as Miss Tooele City. Some of the other events she attended included serving as a judge at the Downtown Fiesta Salsa competition, attending the Fire Station #3 ground breaking, participating in the Tooele High School Homecoming parade, taking pictures at the Mayor’s Charity Golf Tournament, handing out treats at the Haunted Museum, and watching the historical lunar eclipse at the Tooele Valley Museum.

Kickin’ Cancer’s Can, Mountain West Medical Center Woman’s Event, Royal Reading at the library, Christmas parades, holiday tree lighting ceremony, and Shop-with-a-Cop were additional events the 2023 royalty participated in. 

The year ended with a special tribute to Kennedi who is a Star Wars Die Hard Fan Queen. As part of her farewell walk at the 2024 pageant, we surprised her by changing her farewell music to the "Imperial March" and she was greeted by a costumed Storm Trooper who presented her with her scholarship and farewell gift.

(L-R):  Co-Attendant Katelyn Bush,  Co-Attendant Jaimee Whitehead, Miss Tooele City Hannah Sheppard, Co-Attendant Sydnee Gustin, Co-Attendant Hazel Fogg

Hannah Sheppard was crowned Miss Tooele City 2022 after serving as an attendant in the royalty the prior year. This marks the first time in the pageant history where a contestant served as an attendant in the royalty and returned a later year and captured the crown. For her talent Hannah performed ballet en point. 

The 2022 theme was “Sounds of Freedom” and Hannah honored Aaron Jarnigan from Tooele High School. Other individuals honored that evening were: Julianne Ferguson, Jon Gossett, Doug Kinsman, and Russ Whittaker.

The 2022 year marked another first as this was the first time we had only five contestants enter the competition. When the deadline came, the City discussed several options on how to proceed with such low participation numbers.  The primary consideration was the impact selecting three and having two standing alone on the stage would have on the overall experience for the contestants and the audience. Ideas discussed included extending the entry deadline, only crowning a queen or a queen and one attendant, or holding a small selection event. When Director Perkins presented the idea “let’s crown them all” Mayor Winn enthusiastically supported the idea. The highlight was that the plans were kept secret from everyone except for a few individuals who had the privilege of knowing what the final outcome of the evening would be. 

When the time came to announce the winners, two co-attendants were announced. Mayor Winn then explained that she would not be announcing a Rookie Winner this year because we made the decision that all five contestants would have the opportunity to continue their journey and serve as members of the 2022 royalty. The auditorium burst into cheers and one by one the attendants were announced until only one young woman was left, which was Hannah Sheppard who was announced as Miss Tooele City.  

The 2022 attendants included Hazel Fogg who performed a vocal solo, Katelyn Bush who performed sign language, Sydnee Gustin who demonstrated soccer skills with a comedic presentation, and Jaimee Whitehead who danced. 

The royalty started their year of service with the traditional 4^th of July activities: flag retirement ceremony, karaoke, BBQ, Corvette Car Show, concert, fireworks, and parade. During the festivities, Hannah and Jaimie also volunteered at the monthly food service food drop which ended in another first – our first injury. When motioned to move forward too soon, a car drove forward and ran over Jamie’s foot. The injury was pretty bad and required medical care but fortunately, there was no break.

The fivesome were treated to amazing team bonding events that included a trip to the Days of ’47 Parade Float Preview Party, the Living Planet Aquarium, Olive Garden, a behind the scenes tour of Hale Center Theatre, and then box seats to their performance of the Little Mermaid. 

Little Warriors Camp at Camp Wapiti proved to be a favorite service event for the 2022 royalty. Meeting and interacting with Gold Star Families is always a humbling reminder of the sacrifices made for freedom. The day included rock wall climbing, crafts, crowning of camp princesses, food, a soccer shoot out (hurray for Sydnee’s ability to showcase her talent), and therapy with service animals trained to comfort combat veterans. Cowboy Ken interviewed the royalty for his podcast, highlighting the support provided by Tooele City for the event.

A special service project was hosted by Tooele Hammer & Stain for our royalty and their guests. A private party was held at their shop where patriotic wooden flags were painted for the purpose of being delivered to the Fisher House. Unfortunately, COVID-19 was still a concern for the patients staying at the VA Hospital Fisher House and the responsibility for delivering the finished products was passed to the next year’s royalty.

The highlight of the year came when Tooele City commissioned Eric Dowdle to paint a piece of folk-art representing Tooele City and turn it into a puzzle to be sold with his American celebration collection. Eric viewed many historical buildings, sites, and traditions and ultimately used his artistic interpretation to select what was included in the piece of art. A short time before the puzzle unveiling, we learned that Miss Tooele City was a feature of the puzzle. The royalty was invited to the unveiling ceremony and had the honor of placing their “puzzle piece” on the large puzzle along with other community representatives. 

The year of service was jam packed. Other contributions our royalty provided to our community included: entertaining and handing our awards at the demolition derby, overseeing and taking photos of teams at the Mayor’s annual charity golf scramble, handing out candy and photography at the annual Downtown Trick-or-Treat event, a special meet-and-greet at Our House Assisted Living Facility, lunch labor and service at the Mountain West Medical Center Women’s Event, ‘Kickin Cancers Can, Royal Reading at the City Library, Shop-with-a-Cop, providing service to our elected officials as their official candy wagon pullers during the Tooele High School Homecoming Parade, and a favorite was having the honor of helping to crown our Miss and Mr. Amazing new royalty.

(L-R):  Co-Attendant Hannah Sheppard, Miss Tooele City Lizzie Rawlings, Co-Attendant Rylie Grissett

The 2021 pageant returned to the Tooele High School Auditorium in full fanfare and was the kick-off to the City’s 4^th of July festivities. Lizzy Rawlings was crowned Miss Tooele City that evening and performed an upbeat and technical ballroom dance routine for her talent. Lizzy was later accepted into BYU’s ballroom dance team.

The 2021 theme was “An American Story” and Lizzy recognized Steffanee Wanlass during the On-Stage Communications of the competition. There were eight contestants this year and other honorees included: Shelli Roberts, Darlene Dixon, Ty Tate, Clint Spindler, Miriam Buell, Melinda “Mert” Russo, and Bruce Dunn. 

Rylie Grissetti returned for a second time this year and was selected as a co-attendant. She exhibited a commercial she wrote, produced, and voiced over featuring her hometown, Tooele City.  Hannah Sheppard was selected as the other co-attendant and she performed a ballet en point.

The royalty participated in the traditional 4^th of July festivities including return of the car show, community BBQ, karaoke, fireworks, parades, flag retirement ceremony, concert, and the Addition of the American Mile event that provided community members with a map of the City’s historic markers along one mile in the City’s downtown history.  During the American Mile event, the royalty got to test out the new electric scooters that were brought to the community by a vendor.

Summer included service at the Little Warriors Camp, the Demolition Derby, Friday’s on Vine, and Save Family Dinner event where the royalty assisted at a drive through station where families collected items to take home and cook a meal together. 

A highlight event for the end of summer was participating in the Kickin’ Cancer’s Can fundraiser.  Lizzy had been involved in this event for many years with her mother, serving as the event organizer.  She was honored to have her co-attendants be part of it this year. They handed out balloons for release in honor of those lost to cancer and greeted youth runners at the finish line of their mini-race. Lizzy’s leadership skills shined as she organized many youth runners and the logistics that come with such an event. 

When Fall came, Rylie fulfilled a goal she had been working on for several years. She dreamed of participating in an internship with the Disney Corporation and was notified that she was selected to participate in their program at the Florida location, Disney World.  She had fulfilled all of her contractual obligations and the pageant committee supported her in this opportunity knowing she would be unavailable for Fall and Winter appearances.

2021 marked the 20^th anniversary of the 911 terrorist attack on America and Tooele City held a special ceremony in remembrance of the tragic day and the victims of the event. The old siren at Tooele City Fire Station #1 was activated at the precise time the first tower came down. Firefighters and police officers were given commemorative coins honoring their fallen brothers and sisters during an outdoor flag retirement ceremony. Lizzy was had the honor of playing the guitar and singing the National Anthem for the solemn event.

When the crisp Fall air came about, the service opportunities included the Downtown-trick-or-treat event and volunteering at the Haunted Historic Park. Lizzy and Hannah handed out a lot of candy and enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful costumes. For the first time, the Miss Tooele City royalty participated in the Stansbury Days Parade. This was important to Lizzy because while she resided in Tooele City, she lived on the border and attended Stansbury High School.  She wanted to see Tooele City show support to our neighboring community Stansbury Park. 

Winter brought the annual Grantsville Light Parade and Santa Parade. Hannah also was a solo representative who attended and participated in the Shop-with-a-Cop event. The final service opportunity was helping to crown the Mr. and Miss Amazing 2021 royalty.

(L-R): Co-Attendant Suni Norman, Miss Tooele City Ella Rose Leonelli, Co-Attendant Eden Legge

Miss Toole City 2020 was Ella Rose Leonelli. Ella Rose was selected during a modified selection event due to the COVID pandemic. As Tooele City’s 4^th of July committee was finalizing plans for the 2020 community celebration, everything came to a halt in March as the COVID pandemic hit America and Utah began to shut down. The fate of the 2020 pageant and 2020 royalty was unknown pending State and National guidelines on how to respond to the COVID pandemic. When the guidelines came out, Tooele City quickly transitioned to a modified 4^th of July community celebration and the Miss Tooele City program was given permission to hold a modified selection event provided that recommended COVID guidelines were followed. The selection event was to be held in the community room of the new police station and was planned to be the first event held there. 

Adapting to the 2020 pandemic, contestant workshops were held virtually or in small numbers with social distancing implemented. The contestant service project was replaced with a “Tee Party” at the Oquirrh Hills Golf Course with outdoor golf lessons, dinner, and garden hats taking center stage. 

The fate of the event was again stalled as the 2019 Black Lives Matter movement resulted in violent and dangerous protests in Salt Lake City, and City officials were notified that a protest was scheduled to be staged at the same date and time of the Miss Tooele City selection event. The community room was needed for police staging in preparation for security and response to the protest. A last-minute change by the protest organizers moved the date, which paved the way for the pageant to be held as planned but earlier in the day. The event was broadcasted on Facebook live for others to enjoy, but it was definitely not the same without friends and families in the audience.  We were grateful that the event happened even though attendance inside the building was limited to the outgoing royalty and one guest, the contestants, judges, Mayor, and select members of the committee. Miss Tooele City 2019, Emma Wardle, and her father, Councilman Scott Wardle, served as the emcees of the event and helped pull of a truly special afternoon despite the circumstances. 

Talents and On-stage Communications were pre-recorded and played for the judges at the event.

Six-foot social distancing was implemented and enforced, until crowning when the energy and enjoyment of new royalty took over. Fortunately, there were no known COVID exposures as a result of the event and happenings. 

The 2020 theme was “An American Story” and there were 10 contestants in this year’s selection event.

The co-attendants were Eden Legge and Suni Norman.  For their talent recordings, Ella Rose showcased an operatic vocal solo; Eden a theatrical vocal solo; and Suni a classic violin solo. With the COVID restrictions, the On-stage Communication component of the competition was modified and each contestant selected a location, rather than a person, within Tooele City to showcase as part of their video recording.  Ella Rose, for example, highlighted the Tooele City Park and Aquatic Center stating that she spent much time there as a participant on the Tooele High School Swim Team. 

Following the crowning, the royalty walked a red-carpet runway spanning from the building to the parking lot where a decorated jeep awaited each of them.  They were escorted by firetruck and police to Councilman Ed Hansen’s home where they met up with their parents for a small congratulatory outdoor dinner.  This would be the only summer-time parade for the 2020 royalty. The 4^th of July and Days of ’47 parades were cancelled.

A funny memory from this year was Suni realizing, after all the photos were taken, Tooele was misspelled on the royalty’s banners. In the chaos of whether the event was going to happen, Director Perkins said that “the banners came in last minute and we didn’t even notice that until Suni pointed it out”.  New banners were ordered but didn’t arrive in time for photo shoots and some appearances. You’ll notice that flowers and photo props were strategically placed in many of the official photos. Through the year, another pageant in the valley also had a banner mishap.  It turned out to be a funny memory and aligned with the chaos of the COVID pandemic – everything was a little off but still turned out to be beautiful.

The City’s modified 4^th of July celebration included many outdoor or socially distanced events for the safety of the public and our royalty.  Events included a virtual Flag Raising Ceremony, a Community Porch Decorating contest where the royalty selected the winners, and a fun All American Dine Around where local businesses (who had been impacted by COVID closures) provided American-themed specials throughout the week.  The royalty was treated to a lot of food as part of this event.  They did a virtual Patriotic Story Time with the Tooele City Library, reading stories on camera for later broadcasting.  Ella Rose read in Spanish. The royalty also masked up and helped deliver much needed food to community members as volunteers with the Food Bank monthly food drop at the Deseret Peak Complex. 

Another highlight of the year was the unveiling of a large banner hung on the side of Tooele City Hall that read “United We Stand!”  The banner was ordered prior to the Black Lives Matter Protests but turned out to be the perfect message for our City that summer.

The royalty was featured on the Life’s Worth Living Podcast where they discussed resiliency and the impact suicide and eating disorders have had on them. 

Later in the summer, modified guidelines provided a couple of fun outdoor events for our community.  The royalty volunteered at the Emergency Responder Appreciation Day, the homecoming parade, the Haunted Museum, and the Demolition Derby (fully masked of course), which was a community favorite.

As 2021 rolled around, COVID recommendations began to lift but there was still reservation in the community about large gatherings. Fortunately, the City moved forward with planning for our traditional 4^th of July festivities and the 2021 pageant put the program back to normal, which allowed Ella Rose to be able to emcee and crown her replacement.

Photographs from the 2020 royalty experience were preserved and included in a Time Capsule that was placed in the new Tooele City Police Station. 

(L-R): Co-Attendant Sadee Simmons, Miss Tooele City Emma Wardle, Co-Attendant Sarah Wilson

Emma Wardle was selected as Miss Tooele City 2019.  Her talent for the competition was dance and a modern rendition to “Boogey Woogie Bugle Boy.”  The judges recognized Emma’s knowledge of City operations and happenings. Ms. Wardle explained that when she was growing up, because her father was on the City Council, many of the discussions at the family dinner table included City happenings.   This year added a special touch because she was able to experience service to the City from the inside as Miss Tooele City.

The 2019 theme was, “Forever Proud” and Ms. Wardle recognized Mike Wells during the On-stage Communications portion of the evening for his service to the community through the Rotary Club.  There were six contestants this year with additional honorees being Mary Murphy, Stefanie Stringham, Bucky Whitehouse, Solo Pace, and Melissa Swan. 

The co-attendants were Sarah Wilson and Sadee Simmons (2018 co-attendant winner) who returned for a second year serving in the royalty. Sarah was the first Spanish-speaking member of our royalty and it was a skill she used throughout the year including when she hosted the Latin Fest in Tooele City.  She danced for her talent. Sadee played the violin for her talent this year and used her scholarship money to finish her cosmetology training before starting her college education. 

The 2019 royalty, and their mothers, provided dinner to families at the VA Fisher House in what was called “Dinner with a Patriot and Princess.” Sarah provided entertainment by playing the piano during dinner service.

The 2019 year of service included some traditional opportunities and unique opportunities. The royalty enjoyed meeting the community during the traditional 4^th of July actives that included parades, car shows, BBQs, and the concert ARRIVAL: the music of ABBA.  During the concert, the royalty held a miracle minute, this time to raise funds in support of a statue being placed at Veteran’s Park in honor of Vietnam era veterans. The royalty again raised over $1,000 in a matter of minutes.

They were the first royalty to be invited to host at the Punishment at the Peak Demolition Derby at the Deseret Peak Complex.  This was an event traditionally reserved for Tooele County royalty, but the program dissolved and City royalty were invited to complete service in their absence.  The derby in Tooele County is an event that draws record crowds and often sells out.  The royalty entertained the audience in between heats with games, trivia, and handing out trophies. They also cheered on little drivers who competed in the powder puff derby competition driving their toy cars. The ladies did such a good job that the Miss Tooele City royalty has been asked to return year-after-year.

Other notable events included the Fire Department 100 Year Celebration, Bark-in-the-Parks, the Chamber Installation Banquet, County Fair Car Show judges, Downtown Trick-or-Treat, and the City’s Flag Retirement Ceremony.  The royalty participated in 4^th of July parades, the Days of ’47 Parade, two holiday parades, and Tooele High School’s Homecoming Parade. They were honored to be part of Latin Fest, serve at Little Warriors Camp, volunteer at the Rotary Club Golf Tournament, and step up to the challenge wrapping the beanbags at the Shop-with-a-Cop event.

The 2019 royalty were honored to have their official photo shoot with Jamie Broderick Photography and have their photo hung at the “royalty booth” at Applebee’s Tooele.  As of 2023, the photo remains. 

Their year of service was cut short in March due to the COVID pandemic, which required implemented shut downs and world-wide safety protocols. An earthquake impacted much of Utah and resulted in our police department moving from their current location to their new building prior to completion. The fate of the 2020 pageant and 2020 royalty was unknown pending State and National guidelines on how to respond to the COVID pandemic.  When the guidelines came out, Tooele City quickly transitioned to a modified 4^th of July community celebration and the Miss Tooele City program was given permission to hold a modified selection event provided that recommended COVID guidelines were followed. The selection event was to be held in the community room of the new police station and was planned to be the first event held there. 

Adapting to the 2020 pandemic, contestant workshops were held virtually or in small numbers with social distancing implemented. The contestant service project was replaced with a “Tee Party” at the Oquirrh Hills Golf Course with outdoor golf lessons, dinner, and garden hats taking center stage. 

The fate of the event was again stalled as the 2019 Black Lives Matter movement had resulted in violent and dangerous protests in Salt Lake City and City officials were notified that a protest was scheduled to be staged at the same date and time of the Miss Tooele City selection event. The community room was needed for police staging in preparation for security and response to the protest.  A last-minute change by the protest organizers moved the date paving the way for the event to be held as planned but earlier in the day. The event was broadcast on Facebook live for others to enjoy but was not the same without having friends and families in the audience.  We were grateful that the event happened event though attendance inside the building was limited to the outgoing royalty and one guest, the contestants, judges, Mayor, and select members of the committee.  Emma and her father, Councilman Scott Wardle, served as the emcees of the event and helped pull of a truly special afternoon despite the circumstances. 

Six-foot social distancing was implemented and enforced, until crowning when the energy and enjoyment of new royalty took over. Fortunately, there were no known COVID exposures as a result of the event and happenings. 

(L-R): Co-Attendant Sadee Simmons, Miss Tooele City Marin Legge, Co-Attendant Lily Gebbs

Marin Legge was selected as Miss Tooele City 2018. Her talent for the competition was dance performance and she performed a lyrical routine to “Walking the Tightrope” from the show “The Greatest Showman.”  Marin proclaims that her dance skills were learned primarily from watching YouTube videos and practicing different techniques in the basement of her home, prior to joining organized dance programs with Tooele High School. As Miss Tooele City, she was given the opportunity to perform at the high school regional dance competition.

The 2018 theme was “I Love a Parade” and the On-stage Presentation portion of the competition provided our contestants with the opportunity to recognize someone they felt was worthy of serving as the 4^th of July Parade Grand Marshal.  Ms. Legge recognized Ted Vanderwerken as her nominee.  There were nine contestants this year and other honorees included: Carol LaForce, Flyod Michael “Mike” Lewis, Melanie Skelton, Rachyl Mears, Cheri Leavitt, Rebecca Ford, Christine Evans, and Wade Mathews.

The 2018 co-attendants were Lillian (Lily) Gebs and Sadee Simmons. Ms. Simmons’ participate was the first time we had a sister of another winner enter the pageant and also win a position in the royalty. She showcased her skills in volleyball with a video presentation and comedic interpretation that highlighted her athleticism and public speaking skills. Lilly performed an operatic vocal performance highlighting her beautiful range and singing abilities. Lilly and Sadee were classmates at Tooele High School and explained that they knew “of” each other in high school and were grateful that the summer service opportunities gave them fond friendships when entering their senior year of high school together.

The 2018 year of service included some traditional opportunities and unique opportunities. The royalty enjoyed meeting the community during the traditional 4^th of July actives that included parades, car shows, BBQs, and a concert featuring Terry Clark. What was unique about this concert is that the royalty held a “miracle minute” at the concert to help raise funds for a statue that was being placed in Veteran’s Park in cooperation with the Life’s Worth Living Foundation. In a matter of minutes, our royalty walked the crowd with open bags and raised almost $2,000 towards the initiative. Later that November, they were honored to hand out boutonnieres and corsages to over 150 veterans who attended the unveiling ceremony on a beautiful, Veteran’s Day in 2018.

The royalty was also treated to a one-on-one cake decorating class with Sherry Petras of Sherry’s Sweets where they decorated cupcakes and later distributed them to emergency responders at the Tooele Valley Night Out Against Crime Event.

The royalty was invited to attend and help host the first ever Latin Fest to be held in Tooele where they enjoyed festive food, learned Latin dancing, and hosted performing artists. Reaching out to the diverse population of our community was a hallmark for this year’s royalty.

Other service opportunities included the Christmas parades, attending the Tooele County Fair, Days of ’47 parades, downtown trick-or-treating, the fire department annual awards banquet, Fridays on Vine, Mountain West Medical Center’s Health Women’s’ Event, the Library Summer reading year end event, Little Warriors Camp, and royal reading at the library. They also were part of the “Most Don’t” media campaign that was produced jointly by Tooele City’s Communities that Care program and the Tooele County Health Department.

(L-R): Co-Attendant Eva Ollcot, Miss Tooele City Kat Hawley, Co-Attendant Ayanna Likens

Kat Hawley was selected to serve as Miss Tooele City 2017.  Her talent for the competition was vocal performance, a talent that she shared extensively during her year of service. As Miss Tooele City, Kat performed at the VA Hospital, Utah State University Tooele Graduation Commencement Ceremony, Fire Department annual award banquets, and Missoula Children’s Theatre. Kat graduated with a BFA in musical theatre from Utah Valley University. She went on to hold lead roles in several college and community theatrical productions including playing in Camelot at Hale Center Theatre, Orem and starring as Ariel in the Little Mermaid at the Murray Amphitheater. She worked as a model, freelance content writer, digital marketer, and owned her own clothing business “Poet Dresses.”

The 2017 theme was “We the People” and Miss Hawley honored Greg Montgomery as part of the On-stage Communications portion of the competition. There were twelve contestants in the competition this year and they honored: Neil Carpenter, Rebecca Ford, General Dart, Jacob Smith, Jennifer Hinton, Jon Gossett, Denise Manzione, Angela Baker, Sheyenne Childs, Michelle Bolin, and Marily Sytra.

The co-attendants were Eva Ollcot and Ayana Likens. For her talent, Miss Ollcot played the violin, a talent that led her to her profession as the Choir and Orchestra Director at Park City High School, Assistant Program Manager at Viranim Technical Solutions, and Owner/Teacher at Eva Marble Music.  Miss Liken’s talent and skill demonstration showcased her abilities in broadcast journalism.  She performed a comedic live broadcast of the Miss Tooele City pageant entertaining the audience and capturing her ability to share news in a manner that captures the audience’s attention. Ms. Likens graduated from USU and then attained her career goal working as a tv news journalist and winning a Northwest Regional Emmy Award in public affairs for her report “Counterfeit Killer” as a reporter for KHQ.  She eventually returned to Utah to work for KSL 5 TV. 

The 2017 year was filled with service opportunities during the 4^th of July and a private one-on-one meeting with country singer Charley Jenkins. Charlie has performed at City events for several years and took the time to share with our royalty the challenges, influences, and pointers that come with being a performer in the public eye. The royalty also participated in parades, car shows, karaoke contests (which with Kat on board, it was the read deal that year), served food at the community BBQ, visits and performed at the Veteran’s Administration hospital, and participated in the traditional holiday parades. 

The royalty had the opportunity to volunteer at the Little Warriors Camp at Camp Wapiti and interviewed with YouTube legend Cowboy Ken about the event.  Cowboy Ken is known in the veteran’s community for covering veterans’ programs and raising awareness for our service members. He captures Kat getting “hammered” in the arts and crafts room with children, Ayanna patiently helping a young man in the BBQ gun shooting gallery, the three of them racing campers to the top of the climbing wall crown, and more.

The traditional 4^th of July concert was held in the THS auditorium this year because the football field and track were under construction.  The royalty mingled backstage with the performers of “Starship” and were found in the mosh pit dancing with other local community leaders. 

All three graduated from the same class, so the THS Homecoming parade was added to their list of events with large crowns adorning decorated golf carts, which were their mode of transportation. The year ended with Kat singing and Eva playing the national anthem; and Ayanna being given the honor of introducing the keynote speaker KUTV 2 news anchor Mary Nichels. 

(L-R): Co-Attendant Aubrey Roth , Miss Tooele City Morgan Hinton, Co-Attendant Sydney Knight, Co-Attendant Sydnee Simmons

Morgan Hinton was selected to serve as Miss Tooele City 2016.  Morgan wowed the judges during the interview portion of the competition discussing her service with the American Legion and her involvement with the FFA and Ag programs. Morgan shared her desire to show others that Miss Tooele City is about service and being true to yourself, including needing to miss one event to “tag rattlesnakes” as part of a study.  Morgan later obtained a degree in Wildlife and Wildland management and worked for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

The 2018 theme was “Hero’s on the Homefront” And Morgan recognized Officer Josh Curtis and Canine Officer Maggie. Those who know Morgan best were not surprised that Morgan would select Canine Officer Maggie and her handler. Morgan’s love for animals and wildlife became some of the hallmarks of her year of service.

There were eight contestants this year. Additional community members honored during the On-stage Communications portion of the competition included: Firefighter Jed Colovich, Emergency Dispatcher Trisha Thomas, Retired Deputy Sheriff Brad patch, ER nurse Pamela Giles, Officer Tanya Turnbow, Tony Russell, and Police Sergeant Michael Ross.

The 2016 crowning had a twist the night of the pageant.  After tabulators notified the pageant director that there was a .02 difference between two contestants, determining one would serve in the royalty and the other would not, Director Perkins made the split-second decision that three co-attendants would be announced that night and that the scholarship division would be determined later.  Mayor Dunlavy and the City Council decided to fund each attendant their full $1,000 scholarship. The three co-attendants were Sydnee Simmons, Sydney Knight, and after a second time participating, Aubrey Roth.  Miss Simmons was a collegiate volleyball player, Miss Knight a collegiate vocal performer, and Miss Roth a ballroom dancer also studying fashion design. During her year of service, Miss Roth designed and sewed illuminated white ballroom skirts for the current and future Miss Tooele City royalty to use during the annual Christmas light parade, a piece of the Miss Tooele City wardrobe inventory that was used for many years. 

The 2016 royalty was able to continue serving at the 2016 National Disabled Veteran’s Games. They were honored to be invited to present medals during the awards ceremony and to host athletes on the side lines waiting for their moment in the spotlight. The Saturday event was filled with photos and tears as one elderly disabled veteran who had grown close to the royalty over the past few days, requested their assistance providing him the opportunity to rise from his wheelchair and stand in front of the American Flag to receive his medal.  All members of the royalty describe that this was a special and humble moment that they will forever cherish. It was also a great honor for them to share the stage with Miss Utah 2016. This honor was made possible because the 2016 event organizer also resided in the Tooele Valley area. 

The royalty provided service during the 4^th of July festivities, the holiday parade, the Tooele County Fair opening ceremonies, chalk art competitions, royal reading, and a firefighter promotional photo. They were also the first royalty to serve at the “Little Warriors Camp” at Camp Wapiti, a camp that is held for gold star families. During the event, attendant Sydnee Simmons spontaneously took her tiara off and gave it to a young girl attending the camp citing, she was the true princess needing to be honored. This was the start of a tradition for the Miss Tooele City royalty to crown a camp princess each year at the camp. Another honor they had was volunteering at a golf scramble fundraiser for the National Foundation for Transplants in honor of Troy Medina, the husband of one of the pageant committee members, Sandy Medina.  Aubrey and Sydnee both held their own in tournament play while Morgan gladly drove the hospitality cart.

(L-R): Co-Attendant Brin Stewart, Miss Tooele City Brianna Lyman, Co-Attendant Collette Jones

After competing in the Miss Tooele City Pageant in 2013, Brianna Lyman was selected to be Homecoming Queen for Tooele High School in 2014. After that returned for a second attempt at the crown and won the honor of serving as Miss Tooele City 2015.  Her talent at the event was a theatrical vocal performance. 

The 2015 theme was, “Generations of Freedom” and Brianna honored Carol Laforge as part of the On-stage Communications portion of the competition. Carol was also selected as the parade grand marshal that year. Ten contestants entered the competition that year and their honorees included: Veda Dickerson, Melanie Jackson, Joe McBride, Ashlee Brady, Cheryl Adams, Debbie Weaver, Alexis Bullough, Ryan Peacock, and Health Hillyard.

Brianna attended the University of Utah and went on to apply her vocal, acting, and dance abilities professionally landing her award-winning roles with local theatres, casting in Hale Center Theatre in Sandy, and casting in other regional theaters.  She continued to promote arts in the Tooele Valley area as one of the founders of Tooele Valley Theatre, a local non-profit that produces various theatrical productions and arts courses each year.  Miss Lyman also continued to serve as a volunteer in the Miss Tooele City program passing her knowledge to others. 

The 2015 attendants were Collette Jones and Brin Strewart.  Miss Stewart showed that talents can be more than traditional stage performances by giving a comical narration of her volleyball career, another talent that she continued to play in college. She was the first person of color to enter Miss Tooele City and to serve in the royalty. She later opened a bakery, The Sourdoughry.”  Miss Jones was a classically trained violinist who was the top talent winner at the pageant. She continued her musical arts studies at BYU and moved to California to continue her master’s education and to pursue a career writing musical scores professionally.

During their year of service, the royalty had the unique opportunity to provide a full day of service at the Veteran’s Administration hospital.  They visited sick and wounded veterans, performed in clinics and at bed sides, donated blankets, attended a group substance abuse recovery meeting where they received words of advice from recovering veterans, and learned about veteran’s medical services. This service opportunity led to a once in a life-time opportunity for this royalty and the 2016 contestants. They were hosts at the 2016 opening ceremony of the National Veteran’s Wheelchair Games in Salt Lake City. This provided an opportunity for our royalty to match-up with the contestants and guide them during the opening ceremony and as part of the kick off dinner. Over 30 members, including the royalty, volunteers, and 2016 contestants were transported by limo by Shammy Shack, Tooele.  Brianna was given the honor of singing the National Anthem at the event closing ceremony.

Other service opportunities included the 4^th of July festivities, playing/singing the National Anthem at the Tooele Army Depot Change of Command ceremony, a private tour of Hale Center Theatre, serving at the Healthy Woman Event, Downtown Trick-or-Treat, holiday events, Royal Reading at the Library, speaking at the Tooele County Youth Summit, veterans thank yous, car shows, the Grantsville Light Parade (which proved interesting because Miss Tooele City Brianna Lyman has an allergic reaction in her skin when exposed to extreme cold), and participating in interviews for TooeleTV.  A fun honor was winning the Hilda Erickson award at the Days of ’47 Parade.

(L-R): Co-Attendant Megan Wanlass, Miss Tooele City Cera Strain, Co-Attendant Britney Bresee

Cera Strain was selected to serve as Miss Tooele City 2014 at the minimum entry age of 16 years old. Cera’s goal was to enter the medical field, and she went on to receive the Jordan Byrd Memorial Scholarship recognizing her patriotism and service to the military. She fulfilled her educational goal and began practicing nursing on the front lines of the 2020 COVID pandemic.

The 2014 theme was “Hope of America” and Ms. Strain recognized Mallory Hyre during the On-stage Communications portion of the competition. For her talent she danced.  Seven contestants vied for the opportunity to serve in the 2014 royalty and honored seven local community members including: Aleisha Mitchell, Preston Wamsley, Chloe Sullivan, Alethea Nay, Daniel Conlin, and Alyssa Murray.

The night of the pageant, Brittney Bresee (2013 co-attendant winner) was announced as a co-attendant providing her with the opportunity to serve her City for another year. Elisa Saurette was named the second co-attendant after participating for her second time in the pageant. Ms. Saurette would relinquish her crown in August and Megan Wanlass was invited to replace her in the royalty for the remainder of the service year. Ms. Wanlass was the 2014 “Rookie Recognition” award winner and received top talent recognition for her time lapsed water color painting.

During the year of service, they volunteered at the 4^th of July festivities including the Army Band Concert, karaoke and car show, movie in the park, and the concert with Diamond Rio. The 2014 royalty also had the unique opportunity to attend the inaugural country concert event “Country Explosion” with radio interviews and making wishes come true for local families. 

Among their many hours of service to the City, they volunteered at the Communities that Care school kick-off event, library summer-end party, Tooele County Fair, royal reading at the library, judged car shows and chalk art contests, Downtown Trick-or-Treat, and performed at the Tooele Arts Festival.  They enjoyed participating in the traditional holiday parades including 4th of July, Days of '47, Grantsville Light parade, and Tooele County Chamber of Holiday parade.

A special influence for Ms. Strain was her uncle who held the rank of Lieutenant and was in active service during Ms. Strain’s time of service.  The royalty provided a special honor to him for his birthday during the 4^th of July concert. The highlight of the year, and in line with the pageant’s goal to promote patriotism, was making arrangements for her uncle to surprise her on stage as her escort during her final walk prior to passing her crown to the 2015 royalty. Tears fell throughout the auditorium as we honored him for his service and provided this special tribute to our outgoing queen for her support of her special veteran. 

(L-R): Co-Attendant Brtiney Bresee, Co-Attendant Breanne Jefferies, Miss Tooele City Alyssa Banks, Co-Attendant Ashlyn Cahoon, Co-Attendant Kirsten VanDerwerken

In 2013, Alyssa Banks was crowned Miss Tooele City.  Prior to this she won the Tooele High School Homecoming Queen Pageant, the Dairy Princess Title, and later went on to win the title of Miss Tooele County, representing our County at the Miss Utah Pageant in Salt Lake City, Utah.  
The 2013 theme for the 4^th of July was “Tooele, the American Dream” and Ms. Banks recognized Tooele City Police Officer Joshua Curtis and Canine Officer “Maggie” during the On-stage Communications portion of the competition. For her talent she danced. Ten contestants vied for the opportunity to serve in the 2013 royalty, so ten local community members were honored including: Greg Johnson, Jerry Evans, Martha Johansen, Charlie Roberts, Valerie Anderson, Cyndie Kirk, Mel Roberts, and Verl Coates [records did not include the name of one honoree].

The night of the pageant, Ashlyn Cahoon (2012 co-attendant winner) was announced as a co-attendant providing her with the opportunity to serve her City for another year.  Britney Bresee was named the second co-attendant. She was also the “Rookie Recognition” winner, an award that highlighted the top scoring contestant that had not participated in another pageant competition.

Following a concern that one of the contestants knew a judge and felt that had adversely impacted the scoring, Tooele City dropped that judges scores entirely and retallied the overall scoring which resulted in no change to Miss Banks placement as Miss Tooele City.  The re-tabulation, however, did result in a change in one attendant by a half point marginal spread between three contestants.  The concern that one contestant was adversely impacted due to one judge knowing her was not substantiated.  Nonetheless, given the circumstances, and to provide for confidentiality of the final placement, the 4^th of July committee and Mayor Dunlavy provided two additional contestants the opportunity to join the royalty and added Breanne Jefferies and Kirsten VanDerwerken to serve as part of the 2013 royalty – an offer they both accepted and served the remainder of the term.

During the year of service, the five members of the royalty helped at the 4^th of July car show, presented awards, sang during karaoke, rode in the parade, assisted at the Fridays on Vine concerts, enjoyed backstage access to country singer Charley Jenkins who offered words of advice about being in the public spotlight, and passed out over 200 bags of popcorn at the Movie in the Park event. The year was marked for the rain and lightning that interrupted and cleared the stadium during the concert with Three Dog Night.

Ms. Banks was honored to be a print model for Horsley Orthodontics serving as part of their “Smiles by Horsley” advertising campaign along with other local youth leaders who were previous clients. 

Additional service opportunities included speaking at the high schools Youth Summit introductory assemblies, participating in the ribbon cutting of the City’s new state of the art waste water treatment plant facility, volunteering at the Downtown Trick-or-Treat event, reading to children at the Tooele City Library Royal Reading event, being the first royalty to participate in the Grantsville Light Parade (in freezing temperatures), being in the Chamber of Commerce Santa Parade, and hosting/singing at the Veteran’s Day program.

(L-R): Co-Attendant Ashlyn Cahoon, Miss Tooele City Sara Webber, Co-Attendant Janessa Swan

In 2012, Sara Webber was crowed as the first Miss Tooele City.  Although, it was later discovered through historical newspaper records that in 1974, Tooele City granted three women the titles of Tooele City Queen to Carla Pitt, Miss Independence to Jan Davis, and Miss Independence Future to Janelle Johnson. They were selected from an essay submission and crowned in the office of Mayor Doug Sagers. Sara Webber, therefore, remains recognized as the first “Miss Tooele City” and was selected by a multi-facet scoring system consisting of Interview, Talent, Public Speaking (On-stage Communications), Evening Wear, and a Responsibility Score.

For 2012, the 4^th of July theme was “Home of the Free Because of the Brave”.  As part of the inaugural pageant, contestants selected a local veteran to honor on stage during the On-Stage Communications event. Ms. Webber honored Major John Hansen. For her talent, Ms. Webber performed a vocal solo to the song “Don’t Rain on My Parade.”

The Miss Tooele City program recognized two co-attendants, emphasizing that they are equal in rank and responsibility in the program. Ashlyn Cahoon and Janessa Steadman were selected as the inaugural co-attendants to serve with Ms. Webber. For their talents, Ms. Cahoon performed a vocal solo and Ms. Steadman danced. 

All three women resided in the south east community of Tooele City and graduated from Tooele High School.

During their year of service, they were the trail blazers and set the tone of the royalty’s service during the 4^th of July festivities. At that time, the 4^th of July outdoor concert was held on the old Tooele High School track that allowed for the spectators to be stage-side and they royalty was front and center dancing with the crowd. They were in the 4^th of July parades in Tooele, the Days of ’47 parade, and the Tooele County Chamber of Commerce Holiday parade where they served as Santa’s special assistants after at City Hall.  They judged car shows, volunteered at the hospital’s Healthy Woman’s Conference, reported to the City Council on their year of service, and performed at the annual Memorial Day Celebration held at Veteran’s Park.

They were the first to have a private tour of the Hale Center Theatre, located in West Valley City, and were then treated to the Sound of Music, a musical Ms. Webber would go on to star in as part of Tooele’s local LaForge Theatre. 

Ms. Webber continued her acting and vocal goals signing professionally as an adult with the au Capella group “Vocalosity.”  Ms. Webber also garnered national attention as one of several missionaries who were unaccounted for when a record hurricane hit her service area in the Philippines. Luckily, she was found alive and well a few days later.