Rose Festival

By KELLY PREW
Staff Writer

The stage is set - at least mapped out with blue tape - and the 75th Texas Rose Festival queen and duchess of the rose growers this week are taking their preliminary bows during rehearsals for the event, to be held Oct. 16-19 in Tyler.

Queen Sarah Elizabeth Clyde, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Clyde IV, of Tyler, and Duchess Elizabeth Katelyn Horton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth D. Horton, also of Tyler, joined their ladies-in-waiting during preparations for the festival, some meeting for the first time.

"It will be a pretty busy week," Miss Clyde said during an interview at Dance-N-Drill, where the court gathered this week for run-throughs. "I've practiced what I have to do, but there will be a lot of rehearsals.

"I am looking forward to meeting everybody and getting to meet new friends. I am also looking forward to being home this week and spending time with some of my Tyler friends, too."

Miss Clyde, freshman at Texas Christian University, said keeping up with the goings on in Tyler as the reigning rose queen is hectic but worth the effort. She said she looks forward to the responsibilities of being queen.

"I just focus on the most important thing at the time," she said. "People will call and ask me to attend events here, or call and need measurements for this or that."

The measurements are crucial, as they guarantee the perfect fit of the queen's gown. Queen Sarah has seen the dress in different stages of construction, but this week will see it complete for the first time.

"Oh my gosh! I am so excited," she said, giggling a little. "I have seen little pieces of it, but this week, it should be finished, done!"

For Miss Horton, seeing her gown also is the highlight of her week.

"The dress represents my family," she said. "I'll be the eighth person (in my family) to do this."

The women in the Horton family have a long history serving as duchess of the rose growers, including her great aunt, her mother and sister.

"Things are picking up now," Miss Horton said before slipping into a rehearsal petticoat and heels. "I have been looking forward to this week, and it's finally here. I feel like October is so far away, but I know it will come as quickly as this week did."

Miss Horton attends Tyler Junior College and said being in Tyler in the months leading up to the festival allows for a few more nerves.

"People are all the time asking me if I'm excited yet," she said, smiling. "Of course, I'm excited!"

Both young women take their roles seriously and recall more than half a year of public appearances and as Tyler's most visible representatives.

"I looked back in my planner over the past seven months, and I am just beginning to realize how much we have done," Miss Clyde said. "Being queen means being available when people need you and being able to do your job. That's the biggest responsibility."

Miss Horton said it is an honor when Tylerites recognize her, especially the young people she meets.

"I guess I'm kind of 'famous,'" she said with a shrug. "I work at a day camp, and I have kids come up and say, 'I've seen you in the newspaper.'

"I just want to represent Tyler as well as I can and the rose industry."

Miss Clyde also looks at her experience as an opportunity to reach out to her community, as others in her family have done as rose queen.

"I would tell young people that anything is possible," she said. "As a little girl, I never imagined I would be able to have this opportunity. I would say, shoot for the moon. If you don't make it, at least you will have caught a few stars on the way. You don't want to regret not going for it!"

The pre-festival work is far from over, and Miss Clyde said she will continue to fulfill her duties with honor.

"My goal between now and festival time is to stay organized, just prepare and hopefully present myself in a way that is honorable to my community and to the Lord," she said.

Lady in Waiting Sarah McCauley rehearses for the 2008 Texas Rose Festival Tuesday afternoon at Dance n Drill studio.
(Staff photo by Herb Nygren Jr.)