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February 22, 2018
The 2018 Apple Blossom Royal Court (from left to right): Princess
Jessica Murray, Queen Gretta Wiersma, and Princess Sophie Castillo.
Dear Friends and
Neighbors,
Snow was falling steadily in Olympia when the 2018 Apple Blossom Royal Court
arrived Tuesday morning. Many visitors were bundled up in dark winter clothing,
so the sight of our Apple Blossom Royalty in shiny crowns and peach-colored spring
dresses made for a real contrast. It also was a nice reminder that spring is
only a month away, and this year’s legislative session should end in time for my
family to enjoy our 99th annual festival, April 26th –
May 6th.
The Senate was in session Saturday morning, February 10 – the day of this
year’s royalty selection pageant. But, as I explained to Queen Gretta Wiersma,
Princess Sophie Castillo, and Princess Jessica Murray when welcoming them here,
the Senate completed its voting just in time for me to make the drive home and attend
the evening pageant.
I always enjoy “Apple Blossom Day” at the Capitol because of the opportunity
to host our festival ambassadors and help promote the Wenatchee Valley. The
queen and princesses continued their Capitol visit tradition by meeting our 12th
District Representatives Mike Steele and Cary Condotta, Secretary of State Kim
Wyman, and Governor Jay Inslee. I also had the opportunity to introduce our
Apple Blossom ambassadors to many of my legislative colleagues.
2018 Apple Blossom Royalty Interview and Song
I enjoyed interviewing the queen and princesses in the Capitol Rotunda about
their visit to the Capitol and the Apple Blossom Festival. Once again, the
Royal Court’s visit to Olympia included the debut of their “royalty song” about
the festival. Click here to enjoy the video of the interview and the song.
Secretary of State Helps Register Royalty to Vote
Between their visit with Governor Inslee and return to the Senate chamber for
the adoption of my Senate resolution honoring the festival, I introduced the
queen and princesses to Secretary of State Wyman. As it turned out, all three young
ladies are voting age – so I had arranged for our state’s chief elections
officer to personally register them to vote. It was one of the
highlights of my day to see how intelligent and talented these three ladies are and to now
know they will be participating in our election process.
Although it has been less than two weeks since the selection pageant, our royalty were fabulous ambassadors for the festival
during their busy day in Olympia. My official Senate resolution is below.
I encourage everyone to participate in and enjoy this year’s festival.
Legislative Session Moves Ahead
As for the legislative session, we continue to be active approving bills and
considering the recently released budget proposals. My schedule has been so busy
in Olympia that I have not had as much opportunity as I would like to respond personally
to my correspondence. While I’m a bit behind schedule in that regard, we can
catch up in person, if you’d like. You’re invited to visit with me informally
this Saturday, February 24 from 11:00 a.m. – noon inside Pybus Public Market.
My most recent local radio interviews
Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as
your 12th District state senator.
Sincerely,
Brad Hawkins
State Senator
Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District
E-mail:
brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov
Website: senatorbradhawkins.org
107 Newhouse Building
- P.O. Box 40412 | Olympia, WA 98504-0412
(360) 786-7622 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000
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