SANTA MARIA — The 78th Annual Elks Rodeo and Parade is scheduled to be held on Sep. 2 to 5, and local nonprofit organizations are gearing up in a big way for this year’s Elks Rodeo Queen Contest.

As of the current date, there are four organizations committed to blanketing our community with fundraisers for youth recreation programs in conjunction with our Annual Elks Rodeo Queen Contest, which will culminate with Queen Coronation on Sep. 3. We have the returning groups of Kiwanis Club of Guadalupe, St. Joseph High School, Santa Maria Kiwanis Noontime and NSBC United Way.

The 2021 Elks Rodeo Queen Candidates will make their debut on Friday, Apr. 9 at 11 a.m. at the Elks Event Center Arena, in lieu of the time-honored tradition of the Queen Kickoff and Auction Dinner. We have an amazing group of young ladies running for the 78th Annual Elks Rodeo Queen this year. They all are very active in our community and excited for all the wonderful events their organizations will be planning throughout their respective campaigns.