Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Joins family of royalty
Alyx Scheller, 17, of Odessa, was crowned as this year's queen on Saturday, April 12. She joins a proud family tradition, reigning alongside her mother Korianne Kadrevis, grandmother and royalty organizer Kerry Scheller, and great-grandmother Coleen Janke-almost all former queens themselves.
Alyx Scheller stands with a fresh bouquet at her coronation.
Alyx Scheller, 17, of Odessa, was crowned as this year's queen on Saturday, April 12. She joins a proud family tradition, reigning alongside her mother Korianne Kadrevis, grandmother and royalty organizer Kerry Scheller, and great-grandmother Coleen Janke-almost all former queens themselves.
Alyx Scheller stands with a fresh bouquet at her coronation.
Alyx Scheller, 17, of Odessa, was crowned as this year's queen on Saturday, April 12. She joins a proud family tradition, reigning alongside her mother Korianne Kadrevis, grandmother and royalty organizer Kerry Scheller, and great-grandmother Coleen Janke-almost all former queens themselves.
Alyx Scheller stands with a fresh bouquet at her coronation.
ODESSA - Odessa once again has a queen, as the town crowned its first Miss Odessa in four years during a ceremony held Saturday, April 12.
The coronation, held in the Heritage Church basement, marked the revival of the Odessa Royalty program after a four-year hiatus. Alyx Scheller, 17, will serve as Miss Odessa for the 2025–2026 year.
The program was brought back to life by Odessa royalty alumna Sandi (Greenwalt) Smith, who served as queen in 1991–1992. Smith said she felt compelled to relaunch the program after seeing community involvement in local parades and celebrations diminish over time.
Smith, who was royalty in 1991-1992, worked with local leaders, including Matt Robertson, to recruit candidates and reinstate the program. She also announced that the float theme this year is "Deutschesfest."
"It's really about bringing people to our town," Smith said. "We've got hiking trails, a great little grocery store, a drugstore, golf, motorcycle riding-and people need to know that."
The newly crowned queen's achievement was especially meaningful to her family. She is a fourth-generation Odessa queen, following in the footsteps of her mother, aunt, and great-grandmother, as well as many other relatives.
Her great-grandmother, Coleen Janke, 91, of Odessa, who served as Miss Odessa in 1951–1952, is the town's oldest living former queen and was present for the ceremony.
"I'll be 92 soon," Janke said. "Today was a really emotional day. I was having a hard time trying to compose myself because, like I said, seeing this little girl as a premature baby and what she went through, she was a fighter and I just come out and see her do this now- it's just a blessing. She is a very smart little girl."
Scheller was born three months prematurely and lives with autism and other health challenges, something her family said makes this moment even more powerful.
"I am very proud of her," said her mother, Korianne Kadrevis, who served as Miss Odessa from 1998–1999. "She's the only one in her class who put herself out there for this."
In her acceptance speech, Scheller expressed her love for the community she's grown up in since she was 8 months old and her excitement about representing Odessa across the region.
"I love Odessa and hold many of its traditions close to my heart," she said. "My family's heritage is deeply rooted here. I am the seventh generation of my family to live in Odessa, and I've always wanted to be part of this."
Scheller said she first rode on a parade float when she was three years old and has been active in community service ever since, through Girl Scouts, FFA, and FBLA.
"Serving breakfast at Deutschesfest is one of my happiest memories," she said. "This opportunity means more than I can say."
While her health challenges can make it difficult for her to speak up, Scheller said she's determined to be a strong ambassador for Odessa.
"I often have trouble finding my voice, but I want to show that despite my disability, I can represent Odessa proudly," she said. "I'm ready and willing to serve."
She concluded by thanking the Odessa Chamber of Commerce and the broader community for their support and understanding.
"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," she said. "And I'm excited to finally have my own German dirndl for the float."
Kerry Scheller, Alyx's grandmother, was unable to participate in Odessa royalty due to the program being inactive during her youth.
According to Kerry, Odessa once had a long history of community representation through both float royalty and rodeo queens. The town's last rodeo royalty served in the mid-1960s.
Now, with the revival of the Miss Odessa program and a new generation stepping forward, those traditions are alive again.
"Alyx is a miracle," her grandmother said.
Olivia Harnack is the award-winning managing editor/photographer/videographer/columnist at the Lincoln County Record-Times, with offices in both Davenport and Odessa, Wash. She is a University of Idaho graduate and a U.S. Army National Guardsman.
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