WAITSBURG – Waitsburg's favorite rodeo songstress spent a long and tiring day auditioning at the Moose Lodge in Ellensburg, Wash. last weekend, but returned home with the title of Washington Little Rodeo Queen.

Ten-year-old Makenna Barron said she "had a lot of fun" as Miss Rodeo Washington Sweetheart for the Miss Rodeo Washington Pageant in 2013 and wanted to gain more royalty experience. Makenna's mom, Tracy Barron, said the Miss Rodeo Washington Pageant has dropped titles for younger contestants, but the new Washington Rodeo Royalty Round Up has taken up replacement titles.

To earn her title, Makenna had to turn in an application and photo, send in a video of her completing a riding pattern, give a personal interview, model, give a two-minute speech, and answer impromptu questions. Makenna won the horsemanship, speech, and personality awards.

Makenna said the modeling was the most difficult part of the competition. "I got a little freaked out because my dress was kind of long and I was stepping on the fringe. I was trying to kick it out, but not seem like I was trying to," she said, laughing.

She said the interviews were the easiest part of the competition because "the judges were really nice."

Makenna gave an animated speech on the pageant-assigned topic of "My Hometown," which she said was also fun.

During her reign, Makenna will ride in parades and rodeos across the Pacific Northwest. "I'm excited to represent the sport of rodeo for Washington," she said.

She hopes to continue her royalty experience by someday earning a spot on the Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days Court. She would love to eventually hold the titles of Miss Rodeo Washington and Miss Rodeo America.

"I would really like to thank Lisa, Tony, and LaZelle Russell for helping me with horsemanship and letting me borrow their horse to make my riding pattern video," she said. "And also Kevin Smith from Smith Brothers Lawn Care for sponsoring my entry fee."

My Hometown

By Makenna Barron

Although many have never heard of it, my hometown is truly one-of-a-kind. It is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, surrounded by rolling hills of wheat. It is not a destination, though it will always be my home. Twenty minutes to the east of Walla Walla and ten minutes to the west of Dayton, it is a hidden gem.

Let me take you on a tour of my hometown of Waitsburg, Washington. The population of Waitsburg is 1217. It is very small, but that is OK, because we locals, well, we like it that way!

One of my favorite places in town is the public library. The library has thousands of books. If you can't find what you want, ask the librarian, Miss Rosie – it's probably tucked away in a corner, somewhere.

Then feel free to pull up a chair, get comfortable, and get lost in another time. If you stick around long enough you will see most of the town preschoolers come in for their weekly art project and story time.

One of my town's hidden treasures is its hardware store. This store is so much more than just a hardware store! Sure, you can buy pretty much any hardware supplies you might need for a project, but if you can't find it, John, the owner, is always happy to order it for you.

But John has also started the Black Dog Rescue in the same store! It is not uncommon to have a companion escort you around the store in the form of a cat or a dog.

The store has also become a local gathering spot for many of the elders of our community. You can find six to eight people around the big wooden table in the center of the store sharing coffee, cookies, memories, the latest in sports and life at any time of the day.

As you can tell, my hometown is the same as many small towns across the State of Washington. What makes Waitsburg special, and truly one-of-a-kind, are the people. People who will go out of their way to help you. By making kids happy with arts and crafts, ordering a much-needed part, or just seeing a need and filling it with no need for fanfare or recognition. People that are good, and kind, and willing to share with their community – my community, of Waitsburg, Washington.