Kalee Herman graduated high school on May 15 and immediately embarked on planning how she will spend all of June selling fundraising raffle tickets to help pay for the town’s Fourth of July celebration.

She is the only person to step forward for the annual royalty fundraising competition this year. “I just want to give back to the community.”

Herman said she decided on her college plans too late to apply for scholarships, so she will commit her share of the ticket sale proceeds to paying for her first year of school at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

“It’s kind of like my college scholarship,” she said, adding that selling tickets seemed easier to her than writing scholarship essays.

She plans to study hospitality and tourism management at Grand Canyon.

Raffle ticket sales will start with the royalty kick-off event at 6 p.m. Sunday, May 31, at City Park. Sales will run through July 3, said Lora Lee Mason, executive director of the chamber of commerce which runs the annual fundraiser. The chamber uses the proceeds to pay for the Fourth of July fireworks and other expenses.

Mason said he was hoping the ticket booklets would arrive in town this week.

Last year also drew just one royalty candidate, Sophia Martinsen. Past years often attracted two or even three contestants, competing to raise the most money and win the royalty crown.

This year’s raffle winners will take home the same prizes as last year: $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 cash for the three winning tickets, which will be drawn on July 4, Mason said.

Fourth of July festivities will get underway on July 1, with the annual Kyle Angerman 3-on-3 basketball tournament, she said, followed by all-day schedules on July 2, 3 and 4.

One change this year will be how Herman plans to raise money — there will be no food booth downtown or anywhere else.

“It’s just easier to sell tickets,” she said of the time-consuming, work-intensive and expensive job of preparing food every day.

Herman and her supporters will hold car washes and plan bingo games and other fundraising events, she said, adding that she is still working on her plans.

She will juggle her royalty fundraising with her summer job at the Stikine Inn, adding that she “loves being busy and active.”