Cayla Westergard

Two Plymouth County girls have their eyes on the crown -- the Siouxland River-Cade "Queen of the River" crown.

Ashley Zenk of rural Le Mars and Cayla Westergard of rural Akron are running in the River-Cade Royalty and Scholarship competition that cumulates this weekend in the coronation of the queen for Siouxland's oldest festival.

Along with the crown and responsibility to represent Siouxland for a year, the winner receives $5,000 in scholarship money.

Ashley Zenk

This year's 21 contestants are already one day into competition. On Wednesday, they interviewed with judges for seven minutes, then had to give an impromptu speech based on an object they pulled out of a sack.

"They wanted to get you thinking on your feet," said Zenk, who pulled out a handheld video game. "It was hard to think of what to talk about, but I tried to make it funny -- I talked about adventure."

The Le Mars Community graduate and senior at Briar Cliff noted that she and Westergard are one of the few candidates not from Sioux City.

Westergard, an Akron-Westfield grad and a junior at Iowa State, said she thought it was tough having to talk about herself.

"They asked us to describe ourselves in three words -- that was hard," she said, even for a student double majoring in journalism/mass communications and international relations.

Her choices: friendly, responsible and mature.

Westergard impromptu object was a headlamp.

"You're standing in front of the 20 other girls plus the judges, and it's scary what comes to your mind," she laughed. "I told a story about coon hunters by my house. A lot of girls there, probably 95 percent, were from Sioux City and didn't know what I was talking about, but I think they were intrigued."

The big day for the candidates, though, is Saturday.

In formal gowns, the girls each interview with the judges for four more minutes, then they take their turn on stage for a three-minute speech on where they see the queen competition going in the next 10 years.

"It's tough, because I only have three minutes to sell myself and be different from the 20 other girls giving a speech on the same question," Westergard said. "And I want it to be not too wacky that I scare people."

Qualities candidates need, she added, are being outgoing, self confident, and willing to make new friends.

Judges for the competition come from a range of backgrounds: one is a past River-Cade queen, another has been part of River-Cade for many years, and another is a Sioux City Schools educator and coach.

On Saturday, the judges will reveal their choice for Ms. Congeniality and Queen of River-Cade.

Zenk said it took a while to get used to the idea that they were being judged throughout the day.

"I was nervous," Zenk admitted. "But I just tried to be myself. That's what the judges are looking for."

A biology major looking to go into education, Zenk said she signed up after a friend encouraged her to give it a try.

For Westergard, signing up came down to the last minute. She'd heard about it while interning at a Sioux City TV station, but until the last day, she still hadn't signed up.

"I wasn't going to do it up until then, but then I thought, 'Why not? This can only be a good thing,'" she said.

Turns out, she was right.

For starters, the competition wasn't all stressful. On Wednesday, the girls had lunch at Famous Dave's with the Golden Knights -- members of a military parachute team that later did a skydive as part of the River-Cade celebration.

"We got to meet them after they did the jump at the riverfront," Zenk said.

They also got to march in the River-Cade parade Wednesday night.

"We threw candy, and I accidentally hit a baby in the head with a lollipop," Westergard said, then laughed. "I probably lost points for that."

Both girls enjoyed feeling regal during the competition.

"I like the way they treat you like royalty," Zenk said. "They escort you everywhere, and if you need a drink of water, they bring it to you."

Making connections with girls they didn't know was a highlight. And both candidates admitted the competition stretched them a bit.

"I always think it's good for someone to go through the interview process," Westergard said. "And it made me a lot more knowledgeable about the Siouxland area."

The next queen will have to keep brushed up on her Siouxland facts -- she'll represent the area for a year in parades and other appearances.

"I was talking to a past queen, and she said she treated this as her job during the school year," Westergard said.

For Westergard, it would mean more trips back from school in Ames. But she said she wouldn't mind

"It would be a good excuse," she said, "to come home."