Behind The Belle: All About the Pioneer Belle Reese Jaureguy

Wearing her crown, sash, and name tag, makes this outgoing, cheerful, and talkative 17-year-old senior girl, Reese Jaureguy, represent Shandon’s past, present, and future as this year’s Pioneer Day Belle.

As the Belle, Jaureguy serves as an active community member alongside her six Belle Attendants who attend weekly meetings and monthly events to prepare for the Pioneer Day Parade.   

After receiving the title of Belle during the Pioneer Day Royalty Dinner on Aug. 18, Jaureguy was shocked and in disbelief, “I was overjoyed and excited because I didn’t realize that they called my name when they announced who won,” she said.

Before she could walk, Jaureguy was signed up by her grandmother a past belle attendant to run against other potential Belles from Lockwood to Atascadero who have called those areas home for 50-100 years.

Jaureguy holds the Belle title with great respect and honors past Belles that came before her, especially her mom, a former Belle, and her grandmother, a former Belle attendant who were both part of the Pioneer Day royalty.

“I’m representing the heritage of, the people who came before me and those who were crowned Belle before I was you carry that with you and you’re proud to represent the area you chose. [If you are from] Paso Robles, Shandon, la Ponza, Haw Canyon, anywhere, you represent them as a community,” she said.

As the Belle, Jaureguy has learned listening and public speaking skills by talking conversationally to community members. “I love to be able to interact with the people of our community and share stories with them,” Jaureguy said.

During each Pioneer event, Jaureguy introduces her six Belle Attendants seniors, Cassidy Heer of Estrella, Adelaida Coelho of Adelaida, Ava Friedling of Estrella, Lindsay Moffat of Adelaida, Kyhlah Mckee of Hog Canyon, and Kiana Martinez of La Panza.

For one of the Belle Attendants the Pioneer events are about, “Getting to meet people, and also the food, is probably one of the best things about it and I get to talk to a bunch of people that I haven’t seen in a long time,” Coelho said.

Jaureguy and her Attendants serve as active members of the community, during Pioneer Day events where they greet people, help pour drinks, and answer questions, “If somebody needs something, they come to you because they know you’ll know what to do,” she said.

Outside of her duties as Belle, Jaureguy keeps up with school where she is a part of the Bearkitten CTE pathway, and FFA where she shows livestock competitively.

She can attend her weekly Wednesday meetings for an hour and the two events per month that last three to four hours before the big Pioneer Day Parade that is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12 along with her other commitments.

Jaureguy explained that the Pioneer Day Parade is special. “I get to see all the people involved in the parade be able to have fun and bring their community a fantastic Saturday morning.”