QUINCY -  Quincy native Kylie Kooistra was crowned Miss Rodeo Washington 2012, the 50th title recipient since the program's inception.

She accepted the honor during a coronation ceremony Saturday at the Quincy Community Center, which was packed with well over 100 friends, family members and well wishers from around the state.

"I get excited to watch her, I'm really proud of her," said Kooistra's younger sister, Cortney Fronsmen, who said she looks forward to seeing Kylie go on to compete for Miss Rodeo U.S.A. later this year.

Kooistra's older sister, Casey Hollenbeck, was also in attendance Saturday night.

"This is truly her dream and it's amazing to see her growing into that. It's kind of a culmination of all of us," Hollenbeck said, adding all three of the sisters have held rodeo queen titles over the years, from George to Moses Lake and beyond.

Among the dozens of visiting royalty in attendance from around the state and Oregon was Miss Rodeo Washington 2011, 22-year-old Omak resident Amanda Emerson.

After travelling more than 50,000 miles and visiting 11 other states this past year, Emerson said she was prepared to hand over her crown and head back to school at Central Washington University.

"I got to go everywhere I wanted to go," she said, adding it was an honor to represent the professional sport of rodeo in Washington and around the country.

Emerson was pleased to see the high turnout Saturday and said Quincy's central location made it possible for rodeo queens from all over to come lend their support.

Kooistra too said she was thrilled to see the number of people who came out for the coronation.

"This is a really big deal for Quincy," she said. "A lot of people in Quincy don't even know what a rodeo queen is, so having them here tonight and seeing it, it's like they're getting a firsthand look at what I do."

The coronation included a social hour, dinner and live and silent auctions featuring everything from hand-made quilts and leather work to signed art prints and bottles of Quincy Valley wine - all to raise funds to finance Kooistra's travels over the next year.

"When you get this many queens together it's a pretty fun experience. You get a lot of energy in the room and a lot of bling in the room," said master of ceremonies JJ Harrison, a professional rodeo clown living in Walla Walla. "But tonight's about not only giving Kylie a coronation celebration to crown her and say congratulations, it's about committees coming together and the state coming together to put some money in her pocket that helps her be our ambassador in Denver and Texas and all these other places that have great rodeos too."

He said rodeo queens like Kooistra have a lot to offer to the sport.

"The rodeo queen is a crucial part of the rodeo," he said. "They show up, they're not paid, they've got to get from town to town representing their rodeo, so they really are the best ambassador of their hometown. Then you get a girl like Kylie who not only represents Quincy, her hometown, but she'll represent the entire state and she'll do it with class and dignity."