Meet the GDD royalty

With the 100th Gold Discovery Days upon us, there is a new court of royalty ready to serve. Caylee Dennis is the reigning Gold Discovery Days queen, and Ella Allen, Allie Kelley and Mari Madeline McGehee reign alongisde her as Gold Discovery Days pincesses. 

Caylee Dennis was the CHS cheerleading captain for both sideline and competitive cheer and the president of the National Honor Society. She also participated in volleyball, band, choir and oral interp. On top of all that, she was also the valedictorian of her graduating class. 

“I love Gold Discovery Days just as much as, and possibly more than, every person in Custer,” said Dennis, and she has quite the track record to support this claim.

Dennis has been a part of 13 Gold Discovery Days celebrations and has aided as a volunteer for 10 of them. Her volunteering began when she was very young with the stick horse races, where she would help to attach numbers to contestants’ shirts. She also sang the national anthem at the bed races and the gold panner races. In fact, Dennis’ family won the gold panner races in 2021.

 “I love helping at any event I can. Sometimes that means corralling kids at the gold nugget hunt, while other times it means helping my mom and grandma with junior royalty and the Gold Discovery Days booths,” said Dennis.

Dennis says she is “truly honored to be able to represent Custer as Gold Discovery Days royalty.”

Ella Allen looks forward to helping create lasting memories for others during this year’s celebration. As a lifelong Custer resident, she has many of her own, like becoming a two-time stick horse racing champion, and looking up to past royalty.

“Since I was a little girl, I looked up to each year’s queen and princesses,” said Allen. 

In high school, Allen was a part of choir, band, theater, ballet and oral interp. She was also a member of student council and National Honor Society and competed in cross country through all four years of high school. Next year, she plans to attend Willamette University in Salem, Ore.

Allie Kelley, also a lifelong Custerite, has grown up hearing stories of past Gold Discovery Days from parents and grandparents. She also made plenty memories of her own: three-on-three basketball, bed races, the volleyball tournament and the carnival. 

“The older I have gotten, the more I have come to understand the importance of the event for the community and the importance of continuing a celebration that brings people who grew up here back to the community,” said Kelley. 

In high school, she competed in high school basketball starting in eighth grade. Aside from Gold Discovery Days, Custer basketball is another big Kelley family tradition. She also participated in volleyball as a freshman and FCCLA as a sophmore. 

Next year, Kelley plans to attend Grand Canyon University in Arizona to pursue degrees in nursing and business. One day, she plans to beome a travel nurse and pursue her interest in real estate. 

“Gold Discovery Days is a great way to celebrate the history of Custer, reunite people, create new memores for familes and energize our town,” said Kelley.

Mari Madeline McGehee graduated from CHS and was involved in cross country, track and cheerleading. In addition to those sports, she also was involved with choir, interact club, BETA club and managed sports teams. 

“I have a desire to be involved with and better my community,” said McGehee.

Athough she says most of her free time is spent with work and volunteering, she also enjoys hiking, painting, reading and playing the piano. 

This fall, she plans to attend the University of Mary to earn a degree in nursing. Eventually, she wants to work as a neonatal intensive care unit nurse at a children’s hospital. 

“Watching how the royalty interacts with people and takes care of the needs to be met is something that really stood out to me,” she said. 

“As royalty, I have an incredible opportunity to make my goal of volunteering throughout high school and college happen by serving as a representative of Custer and the community that makes it whole,” said McGehee.