Pinedorado royalty return for encore in 2016 parade

In 1948, four members of the Cambria Lions Club — Byron “Bing” Boisen, Guy Bond, Eddie Shaug and Joaquin “Pico” Soto — brought the idea of a late-summer children’s festival to their fellow club members. The club endorsed their idea and promoted the community’s participation in planning the festival.

A fellow Lion and local Realtor, Ray Shamel brought a proposal to his sister, Corrine Koontz, and local rancher Lucy M. Fiscalini. He asked Fiscalini to donate a portion of her ranch adjacent to “New Town” (what we refer to as the West Village) for the festival site, and asked Koontz to lend the club $6,000 to purchase, move, reassemble and recondition a recreational building that was for sale by the U.S. Army at Camp San Luis.

The deals were struck. The building was cut into eight sections and moved to Cambria in August of 1949. A contest was held to name the festival, and Bea Becker of Los Angeles won with the entry “Pinedorado.”

Although planned for Labor Day weekend, construction delays caused the first Pinedorado to be held on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 1949. Anna Marquart Lyons (Princess DeAnn Wilfred’s mother) was selected as the parade’s “grand lady.” The following year Pinedorado was held on Labor Day weekend, and Alberta Dodson Stewart was the grand lady.

In 1951, Cambria Lions Club decided to sponsor a queen contest, soliciting candidates from Coast Union High School. Local groups and clubs sponsored candidates, and the candidates raised funds for the club by selling votes at a penny apiece. The first year nine young women competed.

From 1952 to 1968 the queen contest raised more than $75,000 for the Cambria Lions Club. The funds helped pay off the initial loan from Koontz, fund the purchase and development of additional land for the festival grounds, and promote and staff several youth centers.

This past spring, I was contacted by parade coordinator Lani Zaragosa, who asked me to contact former queens and princesses to ride in this year’s parade celebrating Cambria’s 150th year. Fourteen agreed to attend, some traveling quite far. I asked each one to send me a vitae and a quote for this article; a brief synopsis follows, and includes the year of their reign:

1955 — Princess Joyce Williams, fourth-generation Cambrian, active rancher with two daughters (“I have always loved Cambria’s genuine feeling of small-town closeness among its residents”) and Princess DeAnn Lyons, third-generation Cambrian, UC Berkeley alumnus, retired teacher and hardware store owner/operator. Lyons’ two daughters said, “I remember the whole town participated and everyone enjoyed Pinedorado.”

1956 — Queen Betty Dillard moved to Cambria in 1949. She’s a retired accountant and avid golfer with two daughters; “I was so happy to grow up in Cambria.”

Princess Jean Evans is a third-generation Cambrian, her father was the town constable, retired pharmacy assistant; she has a son and a daughter. “I love Cambria. It was important for me to rear my children here,” she said.

1958 — Princess Sharon Yost, a third-generation Cambrian, has been a waitress and hostess at local restaurants. Her father was the caretaker of the Hearst wharf and warehouse in San Simeon. She has two daughters. “I love Cambria,” she said.

1960 — Queen Kay Morgan moved to Cambria in 1953. Her parents owned and operated The Cambrian newspaper. She’s an alumnus of Hanover College, Indiana University and the University of Minnesota. A retired physical therapist, she has a son and a daughter. “Cambria hospitality has always made our visit so pleasant,” she said. “The village has changed but not our friends.”

1962 — Queen Barbara Curti, a Fresno business school alumnus and secretary for Cambria’s schools, has two daughters and a son. “I have such fond memories of Pinedorado,” she said, “the parades, the barbecue, the games, and all the people who came back for the event. Pinedorado was an integral part of growing up in Cambria.”

1963 — Queen Sharon Wilbert moved to Cambria in 1952. Her parents owned and operated Wilbert’s café and Chevron station on Highway 1 (now Moonstone Beach Drive). She’s a Calvary Christian International College alumnus, active Realtor and avid karate enthusiast who has raised a son and a daughter. “The Pinedorado queen contest was quite an experience; giving presentations brought out my personality,” she said. “My dad and I performed in the variey show.”

Princess Patricia Alles, a retired real estate consultant and active estate sales and services consultant, attended Cambria schools. Her parents owned and operated the Sunset View Motel now the Hillcrest Center; she has two daughters. “Cambria was a great place to start out,” she said, recalling “the Village Pharmacy and the cooperative preschool. Lots of good times!”

1964 — Queen Lorraine Gomes, is a third-generation Cambrian and retired beautician who has been married for 50 years. “I have lived in Cambria all my life,” she said. “It was an honor to be a Pinedorado queen.”

1965 — Queen Jan Reynolds grew up in Cambria. Her father operated a fishing and boat business out of San Simeon Bay, and she’s active in the age-management field. “I derived a firm foundation from knowing different kinds of people in Cambria,” she said. “We lived alongside each other with acceptance and sometimes even delight.”

1966 — Princess Susan Williams, a fifth-generation Cambrian, attended Cuesta College and Cal Poly; she has two daughters and a son. “I am as old as Pinedorado,” she said. “I attended the first celebration in a stroller!”

1967 — Queen Dawn Dunlap, a second-generation Cambrian and UC Berkeley alumnus, is a retired classical archaeologist, active independent historian and rancher. “Cambria is truly my hometown,” she said.

1968 — Princess Paige Brooks moved to Cambria with her family in 1966. Her parents owned and operated the Golden Carriage Pancake House in San Simeon. A Cal Poly and University of Redlands alumnus, she’s a retired program manager for the Contractor’s State Licensing Board and the mother of one son. “There is something magical about Cambria,” she said. “I love it!”

This story was originally published August 31, 2016 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Pinedorado royalty return for encore in 2016 parade."