JOHN DAY — The members of the 2023 Grant County Fair & Rodeo Court will make their official debut this weekend at a fundraising dinner and auction in their honor.

Laramie Kiser is next year’s queen and her twin sister, Lavina, is the princess. The girls live in Mt. Vernon and are juniors at Grant Union High School.

They will be crowned at the Cowboy Christmas Coronation Dinner and Auction on Saturday, Nov. 19, in the Trowbridge Pavilion at the Grant County Fairgrounds, 411 NW Bridge St. in John Day. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a happy hour and auction preview.

The grand marshal of the 2023 Grant County Fair & Rodeo Parade, Tinka Oliver, will also be introduced at the event.

A tri-tip dinner prepared by Toni Clark, Chester’s Market and The Outpost will be served, the Snaffle Bit will staff a no-host bar and DJ Chris Gibson will provide the music. The cost for dinner is $18 per person or $34 per couple, and live, silent and dessert auctions will be held.

Proceeds from the event will go toward clothing, travel and other expenses for Queen Laramie and Princess Lavina, who will be representing Grant County in the months leading up to the 2023 Grant County Fair & Rodeo. The rodeo is scheduled for Aug. 4 and 5, and the fair will run Aug. 9-12.

Whitney Richey, adviser to the fair and rodeo court, said the Kiser sisters will be making numerous official appearances around Oregon and the Northwest, as well as at local events such as the Timber Truckers Light Parade. Richey also noted that the twins have rodeo royalty in their family tree, with both their older sister and their mother having served on the court in years past.

Donations for the live, silent and dessert auctions are still being accepted and can be dropped off at the fairgrounds office during business hours. To make other arrangements, call Richey at 541-228-4604 or fairgrounds manager Mindy Winegar at 541-620-8058.

The original version of this story contained incomplete information about who was preparing the tri-tip dinner. The story has been corrected.