Community Princess Jess Barclay and Miss Wagga Wagga Velika Hayes stock up on local merch ahead of their trip to Leavenworth in Kansas, USA. Photo: Supplied.
In less than a week Miss Wagga Wagga Velika Hayes and Community Princess Jess Barclay will be settling back into their seats for a 19-hour flight to the USA.
The pair are leaving the cold of the Riverina to head 14 thousand kilometres away to spend a week in Wagga’s sister city of Leavenworth in Kansas.
“I think that we are most excited about the food!” declared Jess with a smile.
“Yep, definitely the food,” echoed Velika.
“But I’m also excited to see the culture of America because they celebrate everything in such a big way.”
The pair will follow in the footsteps of their predecessors Kate Pevere and Haylee Berkinshaw, who visited the US last year.
“From what Kate and Haylee said, everything was over the top and they felt like royalty over there, because everyone was so excited to meet them,” Velika said.
Leavenworth in Kansas, USA was Wagga’s first sister city. Photo: Chris Roe.
The week will be jam-packed with engagements as the pair represents the Riverina in the ‘Sunflower State’.
“We have a presentation that we’re doing at a Lions Club in Leavenworth, so this week we’re doing one in Wagga at a Lions Club so we know that we have it all down pat for the USA,” Velika explained.
“We are also visiting a school and the Carousel Museum, which is quite famous, and for one of the days, we are just in Kansas City exploring doing some shopping and going to a Texas barbecue.”
But while there is downtime planned, Velika will have to remain vigilant at all times, tasked with watching over Wagga’s historic set of Miss Wagga Wagga Quest crowns.
“We have the one big crown box with both of them in there and they have to stay on our person the whole time,” she said with a sigh.
“So I’ll be carrying them for a week; even on the plane they’ll be on my lap, buckled in.”
At the suggestion that it might be easier to wear them, Velika mused that it might help them “get upgraded to first class”.
The latest entrants in the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest are gearing up for their first major event. Photo: Matt Deitrich Photography.
Reflecting on the past 12 months and the transition from entrants to titleholders, Jess and Velika had a few tips for the current contenders.
“The entrants have their first big event coming up on the 19th of July, that’s their trivia night, which feels like it was so long ago when we did our trivia night!” Velika said.
“It’s definitely a good event to start off with because it’s just so much fun to interact with the crowd and get to know the guests.”
Jess agreed but added that it had also been a tad overwhelming after they accidentally sold too many tickets.
“Trivia was Jess and I’s favourite, and it was so much fun, but I think when it’s your first event you’re not quite used to controlling the crowd, and you need to speak up to really get your voice to the back of the room,” she said.
“It can be quite confronting but it teaches you a lot about yourself, so my advice to them is to have fun.”
While the entrants continue their fundraising journey, this year’s Miss Wagga Wagga and Community Princess are looking forward to representing their city abroad.
“We have one of the best-spirited communities I’ve ever been to and the people of Wagga are so inclusive, supportive and generous,” Velika smiled.
The Entrant Trivia Night is coming up on Friday 19 July and tickets are on sale through the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest Facebook page.
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