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Courtesy photo

Tyrell Wiltbank, the 2006 Fiesta Days Rodeo Queen, will reign over this year’s rodeo before relinquishing her crown to the 2007 winner.
(Click picture for full size image)

Courtesy photo

The 2007 Fiesta Days Rodeo royalty Jill Hensley, (left) and Tiffany Byerly pose for pictures during the queen contest March 24 at Harold’s Cave Creek Corral. Hensley was named the 2007 queen and Byerly will serve as her attendant in the upcoming year.
(Click picture for full size image)

New queen assumes Fiesta Days throne
by Jim Crawford

CAVE CREEK – You can’t have a rodeo without a rodeo queen. It’s the rules. It’s un‑American. It’s like driving a Toyota in a NASCAR race. It just ain’t right.

The organizers of the 29th annual Fiesta Days Celebration in Cave Creek are fully aware of this fact and have taken great pains to see that some deserving young lady wears the 2007 Fiesta Days Queen crown.

A rodeo queen is not just another pretty face, mind you. These young ladies can ride and rope, and in some cases, shoot with the best of them.

The 2006 Fiesta Days Queen, Tyrell Wiltbank, is no stranger to the saddle. She’s ridden since the age of three.

A 2004 graduate of Blue Ridge High School in Lakeside, Wiltbank attends Northland Pioneer College in Show Low and rodeos every time she gets a chance.

Wiltbank was the Navajo County Rodeo Queen in 2002‑03. She has been the Taylor July 4 Rodeo Queen and the Flagstaff Pine Country Pro Rodeo Queen. Her plans include competing for Miss Rodeo Arizona next year.

“The job of a rodeo queen is to educate the public about the sport of rodeo,” Wiltbank explains. “I think it’s like a lot of sports, it has its highs and lows. Kind of like a roller coaster. Right now I think it’s increasing in popularity. I’ve noticed more people at the events this year than there have been.

“There are more girls competing for rodeo queen titles, too,” she notes. “It’s been so much fun this year. I’ve traveled all across Arizona and New Mexico letting people know about Cave Creek and how great the people and town are.

“I don’t want to give up the crown,” Wiltbank says, “but I know Jill is a great person and will wear it proudly and make everyone proud of her. I don’t want to give it up, but in a way I do because I’m taking the year off to prepare for the Miss Rodeo Arizona contest in 2008.”

This year’s Fiesta Days Queen Pageant took place March 24 at Harold’s Corral in Cave Creek. with Wiltbank emceeing the event.

Eighteen‑year‑old Jill Hensley will wear the crown for 2007 and will assume her reign during the April 14 rodeo dance at Harold’s.

She has been involved in cowboy mounted shooting events since she was eight years old. In 2001 she won the World Champion Junior Open and in 2004 she placed first in the Ladies 3 Division for the state championship.

“I grew up around horses and have ridden all my life,” Hensley says. “I live in Glendale but have always thought Cave Creek is a fascinating place. I love how they are able to maintain their western heritage. That’s why I decided to enter the contest.”

Hensley’s excited about the upcoming year and her opportunity to extol the virtues of Cave Creek and the sport of rodeo.

“I’m looking forward to promoting Cave Creek and Fiesta Days,” she says. “I plan to travel to as many rodeos as possible to promote the sport. And I want to try and get as many girls as I can to enter the contest because it’s exciting and a lot of fun.”

The Arizona State University sophomore plans to pursue a career in mass communication with an emphasis on journalism. She also works part‑time at her parents’ plumbing and air conditioning shop in Phoenix. In her spare time, she rides her quarter horse, Yeller, and barrel races.

Queens have their attendants, and this year the honor goes to Tyffany Byerly, 21, of Cave Creek. In 2005 she graduated from the Arizona School of Massage Therapy and now works as a massage therapist. She is also a talented rodeo photographer.

This was Byerly’s first year to compete in the pageant.

“It was a good experience,” Byerly says. “It’s definitely something I’d do again. Even though I didn’t win the queen contest, I still get to help represent Cave Creek and the rodeo I grew up around.”

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