POISE & PERSONALITY
HORSEMANSHIP
TICKET SALES
AMBASSADOR
SPARKLES & SMILES
over the years:
1926 None
1927 Marie Schloegel Novaglie
1928 Martha Warner Kelton
1929 Lola Butts
1930 None
1931 None
1932 Enola McKenzie Reed
1933 Betty Akins
1934 Amy Gardner
1935 Jemma Pedroncelli Serventi
1936 Elizabeth Wendt Ferguson
1937 Alice Gibellini Wade
1938 Dorce Brown
1939 Ernistime Casteel DeBoer
1940 Evelyn Robley Bergson
1941 Pauline Standley Perez
1942 Melba Dempsey Lewis
1943 Ann Cox McGinnis
1944 Anna Ford Hardwick
1945 Lillian Kroh Nolan
1946 Georgia Stovall Welch
1947 Anne Crabtree Henderson
1948 Lillian Kroh Nolan
1949 Betty Mast Campbell
1950 Wanda Lane Johnston
1951 Gretchen Mullen Weber
1952 Yvonne Dusseau Leever
1953 Claire Shawnago Huffman
1954 Joan Neary Von Weien
1955 Shirley Merritt Nikolashin
1956 Betty Ann Stansberry Erbes
1957 Patricia Moreno Door
1958 Letha Schumaker Wiley
1959 Marian Whitely Ross
1960 Carol Collier McClendon
1961 Mardi Wilson Hinton
1962 Linda Allen Banks
1963 Susan Fonsen Neilson
1964 Sue Hardaway
1965 Sharon Baker Arno
1966 Leslie Cogburn Scaglione
1967 Joan Schloegel
1968 Clydeen Smith Dick
1969 Mousey Clatty
1970 Kam Maize LaLaguna
1971 Margaret Smith
1972 Paulette Wilcott Somdahl
1973 Jann Clatty Rickey
1974 Kathy Persico Graves
1975 Lorraine Soulliere Crabtree
1976 Tami Tharp Romberg Mayfield
1977 Kelly Bielenberg Eoff
1978 Julie Canepa Belvin
1979 Liz Persico Day
1980 Cindy Kostanecki Kelly
1981 Stacey Blalack McKinley
1982 Caroline Kostanecki Durupt
1983 Saundra DuCross
1984 Chrissy Kostanecki
1985 Tracey Ford Moody
1986 Kristine McBride Tyrrell
1987 Kim Colwell Lebo
1988 Nicol Persico Kunka
1989 Dina Pinon Parker
1990 Melanie Ulvila
1991 Lanae Shuster Lamkin
1992 Amanda Hiatt Hower
1993 Amy Ford
1994 Marta Trevey
1995 Tori Nunnemaker Minton
1996 Georgeanne Dawson Crosky
1997 Patricia Garrity Murray
1998 Ileah Leone
1999 Mary Garrity Fonsen
2000 Olivia Grupp
2001 Katherine Whitby
2002 Sandi Short Sandroni
2003 Mattie Pinon Owen
2004 Tina Holguin Shull
2005 Ashtan Bloomquist
2006 Darcy Ford
2007 Courtney Figg-Hoblyn
2008 Kinzie Barlow
2009 Lindsey Bowlds
2010 Stephanie Standley Hightower
2011 Riata King
2012 Rachel Belvin Ramirez
2013 Lilja Lamkin
2014 Haley Schuck
2015 Caitlyn Forrester
2016 Halee Reed
2017 Hailey Riley
2018 Lilah Garman
2019 Jaden Doak
2020 Jaden Doak - No contest held
2021 Claire Case Brackett
2022 Danielle Barry
2023 Hazel Cooke
Catie Spackman | 707-354-3577
Catie Spackman will also be looking to ride and smile her way to the crown as she, too, will compete for the title of Willits Frontier Days Sweetheart this year.
Spackman, 18, is a senior at Willits High School and celebrated her birthday on January 24. Her immediate Willits family includes parents Steve and Natalie Spackman, brother Brian, and grandparents Jackie and Mark Spackman.
Currently, Spackman is the WHS Senior Class Secretary, a member of the Willits Frontier Days Juniors, serves at the 1st Vice President for the Willits FFA chapter, and will be taking a hog to the Redwood Empire Fair in August.
Catie is currently working at Stay and Play Dog Care, where she helps care for the animals, helps manage scheduling, and more.
After graduation, Spackman plans to attend Mendocino College for two years, getting her general education squared away, and then plans to major in Liberal Arts and Business with the goal of becoming an elementary or kindergarten teacher in the future. She is also currently volunteering in the kindergarten/ TK class of Mrs. Katie Cooley, where she gets on-the-job experience for what that career path could look like.
Spackman has been around the Willits Frontier Days ground for many years, and is excited to run for Sweetheart this year, and represent her hometown.
“I want to thank Danielle Barry for helping me with my run,” said Spackman. “Of course also I want to thank my family, and also Bruce Cartwright for letting me ride Cinder.”
Spackman can be reached via text or call at 707-354-3577.
Elena Arkelian | 707-354-2877
Elena Arkelian, 17, will run for the title of Willits Frontier Days Sweetheart during the 98th annual event this June and July.
Arkelian will celebrate her 18th birthday on May 15, and is a senior and soon-to-be-graduate with the Class of 2024 at Willits High School. After graduation, Arkelian looks to attend college, and pursue a career in agriculture.
An active member of the Willits FFA chapter, Arkelian plans to take a heifer and market lamb to the Redwood Empire Fair in August, and enjoys riding horseback, helping her dad work cattle at their ranch, and working with her animals. She has several dogs, cats, sheep, cattle and horses at home.
When not with the animals, Arkelian enjoys spending time playing basketball and softball and being a member of the Willits Frontier Days Juniors club.
With the encouragement of family and friends, including parents Dan and Samantha and siblings Lisa, Dana and Joe, and mentor and supporter Nicol Persico Kunka, Arkelian is excited to run for the title of Sweetheart this year.
“Running for Sweetheart is something I have always planned to do,” said Arkelian. “This was just the right year to finally get to do it.”
Contact by calling or texting her for tickets and information at 707-354-2877.
Every year, Willits Frontier Days holds a contest to find the perfect representative for the upcoming Fourth of July celebration; someone who will be an ambassador for the organization, demonstrate poise and personality, be an accomplished equestrian, and exemplify the ideals of western life.
Since 1927, contestants aged 16 to 20 sell tickets to the annual events and compete in riding and poise competitions to decide the year’s winner. The contest starts May 1 with the girls out, dressed in their western finest, selling tickets to the barbecue, rodeos and more. Closer to the end of the competition, the girls prepare a speech based on the year’s theme that they recite in front of family, friends and a panel of judges. They also model western wear and answer questions from the panel. The riding portion of the judging takes place during the annual Horse Show event and includes the girls riding a predetermined pattern on horseback, as well as answering questions from the show judge focusing on equestrian and rodeo knowledge.
The contest runs until the evening before the Sweetheart Dinner, usually held the last Saturday in June. Ticket sales are tallied by a CPA and added to the scores from the poise and riding competitions, and a winner is chosen.
The winner is then crowned at the invite-only dinner in front of family, friends and supporters. It is there that she receives a silver belt buckle, silver spurs, silver tiara, engraved saddle, American flag chaps, flowers, and congratulations galore. Girls also earn 15 percent of their ticket sales, which makes competing for the title a great summer job, too.
The winner then gets to enjoy participating in the year’s following events including riding in the Grand Entry for the California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association and Junior Rodeos, riding in the parade, helping move cattle in the arena, and posing with winners of other contests, as well as making many other appearances during the festivities. The winner is also encouraged to attend other state and local events to represent Willits Frontier Days, including high school rodeos, CCPRA and other circuit rodeos, local fairs, school functions and more.
The winner also joins the roster of past Sweethearts, at right, and is invited to all future dinners where the past Sweethearts are honored with roses and a group photo.
Run for Sweetheart
Hazel Cooke
Danielle Barry
Claire Case Brackett
Jaden Doak
Since no events were held in 2020, the 2019 winner, Jaden Doak stayed on as our 2020 representative again.
Jaden Doak
Lilah Garman
Hailey Riley
Halee Reed
Caitlyn Forrester
Haley Schuck
Lilja Lamkin
Rachel Belvin