It's been a while, I know. We've come through our down period and Aquatennial duties are again picking up and here's an update!
This past Saturday, we were in Sleepy Eye, MN for a coronation and last Thursday night we attended the Miss Winthrop Coronation which is part of what they call "Grackle Days". Now, if you're wondering what "Grackle" means, you're not alone. A Grackle is bird, dark in color with a long tail (find out more here). I guess it's a bird worth celebrating!
Winthrop is a small town in Sibley County, a little over an hour (as the Grackle flies!) from the Twin Cities. It has a population of about 1,300 and is primarily agricultural. The GFW High School (Gibbon, Fairfax, Winthrop) high school is located there and that was our destination for coronation. (The rhyme is unintended....let's just move on).
I'm somewhat familiar with the area....in fact, two of the people I work with at WCCO are from that area. Roger Erickson, he of the legendary Boone and Erickson radio show, is actually from Winthrop. Someone told me Saturday night that it's actually Roger that is responsible for the creation of Grackle Days. I have no idea if that's true or not (and I couldn't find anything online) so don't quote me. It's a good story, so let's just go with it for now.
Mike Max, from WCCO is also from the area (Gaylord, right up the road) and Mike is a champion of Town Ball, a legion-like baseball league that is EXTREMELY popular in that region of Minnesota and has produced some great baseball players including Terry Steinbach who played for the A's and the Twins and Dana Keicker who pitched briefly for the Boston Red Sox. (Check out an article by Jim Caple of ESPN that includes Minnesota Town Ball in his "101 Things a Sports Fan Must Experience Before They Die" and another article he wrote on a road trip... Great stuff!)
OK, back to the coronations. On Thursday, my fellow Captain, Rob Mauzy, and I left the Twin Cities and headed down to Winthrop where we met up with one of our Princesses, Jenna Forstner. Jenna is from Gibbon so this is kind of her hometown (she went to school at GFW). Typically, there would only be one Captain but Rob and I are still in learning mode and we decided to both go just so we could get our feet wet and get into the practice of handling ourselves at coronations. The Aquatennial has a certain protocol associated with it....part of what makes it special is the military-like protocol that we follow. We have our roles and we need to do them well. It takes a little practice!
L-R, Rob, Jenna and Lindsey
Coronations in these towns is really a celebration of the people who live there....they turn out to support the young women of the community and give something back to them. Besides the usual scholarship monies or whatever other gifts may be involved, it seems to me that it's an experience that helps them grow. Just in this short time, I've met several former Aquatennial Ambassadors and various other royalty from other festivals and there's no doubt that they have a step ahead of their peers in maturity and just the way then handle themselves. Certainly something to be said for that when you're off to college in the fall!
Alyssa Neid was crowned Miss Winthrop on this night, replacing outgoing Queen Clarissa Schwartz. Rob, Jenna and I went onstage to say a few words, thank them for having us and give our congratulations. We'll be seeing Clarissa at Aquatennial this year, the first time Winthrop has ever sent a candidate to Aquatennial! Alyssa will be running for Midwest Queen and hopefully for Queen of the Lakes next year.
Lindsey, Jenna, Miss Winthrop Alyssa Neid and Rob
Now, Sleepy Eye is a different story when it comes to Aquatennial. They have long and successful track record when it comes to Aquatennial royalty. In addition to sending candidates most years, they win! They also can boast the only sisters to ever be Aquatennial Princesses, Laura (1999) and Amanda (2005) Spaeth. Laura and Amanda helped organize this year's coronation (and Laura MC'd it as well) along with Sandy Brinkman who was Aquatennial Queen in 1987. Shannon Zeig was another Aqua Princess from Sleepy Eye in 1996. I'd say they've done OK in Sleepy Eye!
Lindsey, Former Queen Sandy Brinkman, Jenna, Former Princess Laura Spaeth Fischer and Former Princess Amanda Spaeth Murphy
Sleepy Eye is in the same general area as Winthrop....it is in Brown County, slightly southwest of Winthrop and about two hours from the Twin Cities. It is also a bit larger than Winthrop (about 3,500 people). You may recognize Sleepy Eye from the "Little House on the Prairie" television series (and books). Sleepy Eye was referred to as the all-important trading post for the citizens of Walnut Grove, the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
This time, it was just Jenna and myself heading to Sleepy Eye. After arriving, we had dinner and met the outgoing Queen Alisa Marti and our hosts. Again, we said a few words to the audience and of course recognized the former Aquatennial Ambassadors that had come out of Sleepy Eye before giving way to the crowning of a new Queen.
There were about 16 girls, all seniors in high school, trying out for Miss Sleepy Eye and it was a very difficult decision. In the end, Amanda Schmitz came out on top and now carries the honor of being Miss Sleepy Eye for the next year. After that, if she chooses to, she'll be a candidate for Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes in 2009. We will see outgoing Queen Alisa Mari this summer.
I mentioned this in Sleepy Eye during my little speech and I'm finding it more true as we go along....what we find in these communities is a great group of people and the real heart and soul of our state and country. They're always welcoming and just glad we come to an event they work hard to organize and are proud to be a part of. Look for them in your communities and show them your support!
Next up, West St. Paul (no long driving...woo hoo!!!!! Have you seen what gas costs?) kicks off on April 20th. I'll be checking in after that.
Lindsey Peterson
2008 Captain, Minneapolis Aquatennial
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