The 2022 Chief Joseph Days Court are, from left, princess Mia Salerno, queen Maggie Zacharias and princess Bailey Vernam. They are presiding over the festivities July 27-31, 2022, in Joseph.

JOSEPH – Maggie Zacharias is carrying on a family tradition as queen of the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo, but it also has a bigger meaning for the 19-year-old from Joseph.

Zacharias saw her aunt crowned queen in 2000, her cousin followed in 2019 and her grandparents were involved with Chief Joseph Days for years.

Zacharias has experience as queen of a rodeo court, taking that honor for the Elgin Stampede in 2019. It was during this time she met Ty Hallgarth, who would make a big impression on her.

“Ty was a board member at Elgin and we went to Vegas in December of 2019, and the conversation we struck up on the plane was whether I was running for Chief Joseph Days,” she said. “I told him ‘yes’ and he said he would be my biggest fan.

“Unfortunately, Ty passed away at the beginning of this year. I have dedicated my queen year and everything to Ty because he helped me get here.”

Hallgarth was a major supporter of rodeo and worked to help others get the most out of their experiences.

For Zacharias, who was named queen in April, it is also a chance to support her hometown rodeo, even if it did have its challenges at times.

“On the other rodeo court, we only had to give one speech one time,” she said. “For Chief Joseph Days we had to give it four times. I never have had to tryout in the snow, but I ran barrels in the snow and did our tryouts in the snow in April. It was a lot with it being senior year, and I wondered how I would get it all done.”

Zacharias is joined on the court by princesses Bailey Vernam of Enterprise and Mia Salerno of Joseph. All three were judged on their speeches, ticket sales and horseback riding.

Each enjoys time on their horses and are excited to be part of the events and celebrations of Chief Joseph Days.

“I am excited to do our rodeo and for it to be our time to push cows and do run-ins,” Zacharias said.

She will be showcasing several horses during Chief Joseph Days. Cowboy is a 10-year-old gelding, Rudi is a 7-year-old gelding, Snickers is another gelding and Kaddi is a 9-year-old mare.

Vernam, 18, also has a history with the event. Her mother, Shannon, of Enterprise, was also a princess at Chief Joseph Days. Vernam will ride Domino, which stands more than 17 hands high during Chief Joseph Days.

Salerno, 18, trained her horse, Bugatti, named after the sports car for her passion for speed.

Salerno earned her first royalty honors at Chief Joseph Days and has been excited to attend different rodeos to meet people and strike up friendships. She has a passion for riding.

“I first sat on a horse when I was a couple of months old and I started competing actively when I was 7,” she said.” I have done rodeos, gaming shows and barrel racing.”

Vernam is looking forward to riding in the parade and watching children come up and interact with her and Domino.

The trio are spending the summer on the rodeo circuit, starting with the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show in early June, and ending with the Pendleton Round Up in September. At each rodeo, they will ride in parades, participate in rodeo run-ins and meet other rodeo courts from around the region.

Zacharias, the daughter of Luke and Merilee Zacharias, is set to enter the workforce as a medical assistant at Winding Waters Medical Clinic in Enterprise. Vernam will attend the University of Idaho in the fall and major in pre-health professions with designs on becoming an orthodontist. Salerno, the daughter of Damian and Kristan Salerno, will enter a trade school to learn to weld.

After the pandemic canceled the 2020 Chief Joseph Days and life returns to more normal with each passing day, this year’s event is important to the court.

“We can show people that we are back with rodeo,” Zacharias said. “We still need to be cautious of COVID, but don’t be afraid to come out and have a good time.”

“It is so nice to be back to normal,” Vernam said. “Being able to see people’s faces and the smiles we bring to them is so amazing to me.”