1992 Southern California Rose of Tralee - KARI ANN PATTERNSON GERLACH

“It was like comparing it to Academy Awards, Mardi Gras, Kentucky Derby, and E! Entertainment.... rolled up into one amazing whirlwind.”

The Rose is an altering experience. Past Roses have expressed it as being initiated into a Secret Sorority, where past Roses can only try to described the adventure you are about to partake in. For me, it was like comparing it to Academy Awards, Mardi Gras, Kentucky Derby, and E! Entertainment.... rolled up into one amazing whirlwind. The genuine enthusiasm you feel from the people will warm you for years. As they say, once a Rose, always a Rose? It’s a bit of bizarre celebrity fascination. It doesn’t matter whether you are in Ireland or your local pub, this “celebrity” has stayed with me for 16 years and counting. Throughout the years, I have been offered jobs, invited to join committees and attend special events all because I was a Rose. I have met amazing people and formed lasting friendships through the Irish Community. I cherish my 16 years with my adopted Irish

Family, the Irish Fair Foundation and their supporters and look forward to seeing them each spring and summer. Thank you for being part of my past and my future.