10/21/08 Captain's Blog

Happy Fall! Feels like it's been forever since I checked in. Sorry about that but we've drifted back into normalcy here over the past couple of weeks. Back at it this past weekend though with the Anoka Orange Tie Ball and we have the Anoka Grand Day Parade and Coronation this upcoming weekend. So, Aquatennial is back in business!

To begin with, let me say that Anoka is a special place to me personally. That is where my parents and grandparents lived when I was born. That is where my Dad and Grandfather's Auction business was for many years, up until I was about 13 years old. That is where I went to school (St. Stephens...yes, I WAS a good Catholic boy. Was.) up until 4th grade (we moved to Elk River after that).

OK...I'll embarrass myself. My first day of school at
St. Stephens back in my Anoka Days. The cute one
is my sister. Gotta LOVE Catholic school uniforms and 1982 era belts!

So, I have a bit of history in the Halloween Capitol of the World.

Plus, we see their Ambassadors and Coordinators a ton throughout the year with our Aquatennial group. We get to know them well and they have had a large amount of success in producing Aquatennial Royalty (the much mentioned in this blog Tzvetelina Pramatarov to name one...and a very special one at that).

So, this past Friday, we were very excited to be attending their Orange Tie Ball! By we, I mean Queen of the Lakes Tara Litwinchuck, Princess Jaclyn Auger, Captain Rob and me. Our other two (Commodore Mary and Princess Emily) unfortunately couldn't make it. But, the four of us were glad to take the ball and run with it!

Rob, Anne and Me

We also were joined by former Aquatennial Captain, now a big-shot Vice-President, Skip Nelson (who is judging in Anoka this year....good luck) and 2001 Princess, now also a big-shot Vice-President, Anne Sumangil. They are the backbone of Aquatennial and I don't even hesitate in saying that. What they do behind the scenes cannot be underestimated. A HUGE thank you to them for all they do and the support they've given us all year long. It is inspiring to see them at work and I can't wait to be a part of what they do every year. Volunteerism at it's absolute finest.

Anne and Skip looking their best!
Well, how could they look better?

I want to also mention that several members of our Senior Ambassador Group were there also. They are so good about attending all of these events and helping to support so many communities.

OK....enough about us. Kind of. Back to Anoka.

Anoka is a gigantic program. Outside of Aquatennial, they have the biggest program in the state. I believe they have 40 young women running this year. 40! That's just incredible and a tribute to what they do. Number one, they have a blast with each other from what I've seen. Number two, they do a great job of showing everyone what a rewarding experience that being an Ambassador can be. Number three, who doesn't want to dress up and ride in parades all the time?

Now, on Friday, Captain Rob and I met up with Queen Tara and Princess Jaclyn and we went to Rob's to get changed and head up to Anoka. We happened to have some time to kill, so we decided to break out Rockband. Because what would this year be for our wonderful girls if they didn't get to see the absolute dork video-gamers that Rob and I are? Right? OK...don't answer that.

(By the way, if you don't know what Rockband is, it's a video game that had drums, a guitar, a bass guitar and microphone. And you follow along with the notes on the screen and you have yourselves a rock and roll band. Kind of. A Cyber-rock and roll band I guess.)

Anyway, it's Rob's game. He should be good at it, right? Well, Rob has the rhythm of a sleep-deprived crack addict (he's going to kill me when he reads this....speak well of me when I'm dead). Makes it tough to play drums. But, he tries. And really, he's not bad on guitar. We won't let him sing anymore. Starting to get too many cats coming to the door.

The World's Most Dangerous Rock Band

Tara sat down at the drums and immediately showed Rob how it is done. Banging out song after song like a true Queen of the drum-set. And Jaclyn stood there in her little black dress looking like a way-hipper version of the bassist for the Bangles (to make an obscure 80's reference). Nice job ladies!

Yes, We Are Dorks

So, we wrapped up the gaming portion of the evening and it was off to Anoka.

We arrived at Greenhaven Golf Course where I've managed to deposit many Titleists into the lake and went inside to mingle with so many of our friends and colleagues. The first thing we noticed was the parade of sashes on the Anoka Candidates. They just kept coming. Again, 40 of them. Wow. They all were really nice too. You could tell they were excited to be there which makes these really fun to be at.

Princess Jaclyn, talking to some of the Anoka
Candidates. Only 36 more to go!

We had a chance to talk and mingle for a bit before we headed inside for dinner. We were joined, as I said earlier, by a few of our former Aquatennial Senior Ambassadors. We also enjoyed the company of our friends from the Winter Carnival (yes....we're still friends despite the Prime Minister's CONSTANT provoking of us. He actually said that St. Paul is all over the Bible but he couldn't find Minneapolis in there anywhere. What does that even mean?) and the Cambridge Ambassadors, Renita, Hanna and Nicole (and their wonderful coordinator Laurie!). We are always thrilled when we see them. We've had a great year in no small part due to the friendships we've struck up with them.

Winter Carnival Doing Their Thing

Then there are the outgoing Anoka Ambassadors. Taryn, Alyssa and Janelle. All three beautiful young women who did a spectacular job representing Anoka throughout the year. Can't wait to see them next weekend AND see which one is coming to Aquatennial next July. Whoever it is, I know they will do a great job!

Anoka (in the black) and Cambridge (in the red)
with their favorite Captains!

After dinner, Anoka Mayor Bjorn Skogquist (who by the way was the youngest EVER elected Mayor in the state of Minnesota in 2000 when he was 22 years old!) said a few words and then introduced the Aquatennial. We went up, did a few introductions and then I said a few words.

I wanted to mention the Halloween tradition of Anoka. Legend has it, Anoka was the first community to put on a celebration that was intended to divert young people from Halloween pranks in 1920. Hence the parade, trick-or-treating, etc. I mentioned that in my young years in Anoka, it didn't really work. So, a public apology from me to anyone that lived near me in the early and mid 1980's. (OK....I wasn't THAT bad. But I thought it was funny anyway! It's not? Oh well.)

Me....trying to be funny while Tara, Jaclyn and Rob
wonder what I'm talking about

After us, Winter Carnival came up to make fun of everything we said. They think we kiss up. Well, we do! And it works. So, yes, this is me sticking my tongue out at you! Luckily, I have this blog to do that in and if you had someone that could read or write, you could do the same! OK, OK...before you get offended or bent out of shape, I'm totally kidding! We have a great give and take relationship with them and besides, they said it first! We love the Carnival group and are thrilled to call them our friends!

See! We LOVE Boreas!

Plus we even talk to them! That's (L-R) Me,
Boreas, Rob and Brooke, the Queen of the Snows

After that, it was dancing time. Well, for some people. We've already talked about Rob's rythm and I'm not much better. So, we'll leave that to the professionals.

So, we had a great time. Thanks for the hospitality Anoka (and all the volunteers who put it on....Roger and Joni Kruse leading the way. They do a great job!).

Tara, doing her thing...she talked about what
a great relationship Aqua has with Anoka which
is right on the money!

As I mentioned, next up is the parade next Saturday (the 25th) followed by the Anoka Coronation that night. We'll all be there for that and why not get dressed up and come to the parade? It's the Halloween Capitol of the World! If you can't do it there, where can you? Plus, then Rob and I will look normal for once in our Captain's Hats!

There's nothing sadder than a "hatless" Captain.
Especially his hair!

Lindsey Peterson
2008 Captain
Minneapolis Aquatennial

9/26-9/28 Captain's Blog

Happy Fall! Or should I say Happy Oktoberfest!

Our Aquatennial family is fresh back from La Crosse, Wisconsin (or behind the "Cheddar Curtain" as we like to say) and their Oktoberfest celebration. Here's what went down!

La Crosse has one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the midwest, certainly one of the largest in this area. They began the celebration in La Crosse in 1961 and it has grown ever since (go here for more history). Let me assure you....it is a PARTY in the Oktoberfest tradition. I don't know if they do it like this in Munich but they should.

We left last Friday afternoon from downtown Minneapolis....Commodore Mary, Queen Tara, Princess Emily in one vehicle, Princess Jaclyn with Captain Rob and me in the other (and Rob's wife Amy as well...Mary's husband Mike met us in La Crosse).

La Crosse is about 2 1/2 hours from Minneapolis. It's an absolutely beautiful drive especially once you get east of Rochester and head down into the bluff country near the Mississippi. In a way, it looks like Germany. With a little less yodeling.

The Festmaster's Ball and the Golden Keg. We must have
found the right place I guess.

We checked into the hotel and we quickly changed because we were off to the Festmaster's Ball.

There is a "royal family" that oversees the festivities. One of them, the Festmaster and Frau (which is German for an adult woman, or, basically, the Wife!) and this ball is where they say goodbye to the old one and welcome in the new.

Commodore Mary, Queen Tara and the new Festmaster!

It was a HUGE crowd and a wonderful dinner (mmmmm.....German food. Not bad!). There also was a tradition they do called "The Tapping of the Golden Keg". Works for me. It is Oktoberfest after all! And yes, it is actually a golden keg. In a golden barrell. That's just good stuff right there. Yes, Rob and I were quick to get in line. As we always are!

Mmmmmm....Golden Keg. Don't mind us.

Following the Ball, we were off to the Southside Festival Grounds. In La Crosse, they have a North Side and South Side Festival Grounds which, basically, are carnival grounds with rides, food, beer tents (mostly beer tents) and live music. The "Dweebs" were playing on Friday night. Nice!

Now, it's awfully tough to take underage girls drinking! Did I just say that? That's not what I meant. Let me try that again (I'm being funny here....just go with it).

The basic, after-hours atmosphere includes beer tents, live music (with beer tents) and bars (with beer tents). If you are 19, 20 years old, kind of tough to hang out (in a beer tent). So, we found a place to sit at the festival grounds where they didn't have to be 21 just to get through the door and hung out (it was kind of a beer tent)! It was good to hang with the girls and just talk. We just all have so much fun together plus having Amy and Mike (Rob and Mary's spouses) is always fun. We have a great group of people.

At the Festival Grounds...our group with Bill (King Boreas) and
Brooke (Queen of the Snows). Oh, and an empty
pitcher. Whoops.

Eventually, they let us in to see the band (after they stop alcohol sales of course) so we could catch the last couple of songs. Gotta love the Dweebs! It was kind of funny because inside the stage area, it was wall to wall, across the floor, crushed beer cans. You could literally walk the whole length of the building without touching the floor. You did NOT want to be in sandals!

At that point, it was time to get the girls back to the hotel. Of course for Rob, Mary, Mike, Amy and me, it was time to see what else was going on. Well, you hear all the stories about La Crosse, you want to see what's happening downtown, right?

Stop judging me.

We met up with our friends from the St. Paul Winter Carnival including King Boreas and two of their Wind Princesses, Natalie and Erin. We went to a place called the Library where not much reading was going on to enjoy some of Oktoberfest's finest libations and people watch. Because THAT is the best part.

As a side note, the T-shirt watching may have been better. I can't really share a lot of them with you but trust me, they were very creative. "Notsoberfest", "Don't Worry, We're Professionals", "Minneapolis Drinking Team", etc. You get the idea. Very funny stuff, some of them. Others, maybe a little on the disturbing side. I guess that's what they're going for though.

It was a late night but we had a lot of fun. We have such a great relationship with Winter Carnival and it's so much fun to hang out with them.

Do you think they pick their parade spots early enough?
Thanks for the seats!

Saturday morning was the Maple Leaf Parade. The parade runs from north to south through the town and it is a zoo. It's a tailgate party with a parade in the middle. Interesting? Yes. Fun? Without a doubt. Borderline frightening? Definitely.

The view from the float!

Example.....we were talking to a couple of Police Officers while lining up for the parade and one of them told us that if anyone tries to "climb onto the float, go ahead and kick them down". Yes, kick them down. I don't remember that in the job description.

Gotta love alcohol induced float climbing. Sounds like a new reality show on Fox. Right after that show where people try to fit through a hole in the wall before being knocked into a pool. Weird. If they do the show, it should definitely be hosted by someone in Lederhosen named Franz.

So, the "boys" along the parade route were a hoot. Yes, I said hoot.

Anyway, they were....ummmmmmm.....how do I say this? Oh, interested in the girls. We got a LOT of "Jaclyn, call me!!!!", and "Tara, we love you" and just plain yelling ("EMILY!!!!!! EMILY!!!!!!! PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!!!!!!!!! GIVE ME FIVE!!!!!!! DON'T BE THAT GIRL!!!!!).

Yeah, yeah, yeah...we love them too. Just don't fall!

It was all in good fun. I think. Except for the people who kept yelling "Vikings Suck!!!" Yeah, yeah. We know! You don't need to tell us. It wasn't like we were wearing purple Adrian Peterson jersies! Back off. You can't reason with a Cheesehead (well, how do you? They're wearing cheese!). Told you we were behind the Cheddar Curtain. I should have worn a Jets Favre jersey.

Saturday afternoon was a luncheon during which all the visitng festivals gathered to spend some time together and exchange some gifts. Along with Winter Carnival and Aquatennial, we were joined by a HUGE contingent from Winnipeg (Festival Du Voyageur), a couple of festivals in Florida, the Vulcans were all there (hide the women and children) plus a few more (I killed a lot of brain cells....I can't remember all the names).

What could be better than a Princess with an Accordian?

Saturday night, Oktoberfest welcomed us to a hospitality tent (yes, it was a beer tent....a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet for all you Shakespeare fans).

It was really a great bonding time for all of us. They had an accordian player there who would walk around from table to table singing polka songs and, of course, making us sing along with. That was interesting. Ziggy socky, ziggy sockey! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! That plus more of the beautiful German language. And every song from "The Sound of Music". Edelweiss get's old after the 48th time but we had a lot of fun.

Oh my...Ein Prozit never sounded so....off key.

After that, back downtown to see what was happening there. Yep, more drinking. But this time more people. I think both Minnesota and Wisconsin emptied into dowtown La Crosse Saturday night. That is quite the scene.

Sunday morning, we had a group breakfast and then we were off to church. Commodore Mary and Winter Carnival Prime Minister Scott did readings and our good friends from Winnipeg played some music. It was a very nice service.

After that, it was time for goodbyes. Not only from the other festivals but from each other. Princess Emily went with Rob, Amy and I while the rest were with Mary. It's funny, when you spend so much time with each other, you'd think that splitting off from each other would be easy. Well, for us, it's not. At all.

Princess Jaclyn, Me, Queen Tara and Princess Emily...
All decked out in our Oktoberfest finest!

And then we drove home listening to the Vikings stink it up. Yep. The Cheeseheads were right.

So, what's next? Not a lot but a few things to tell you about.

First, Queen of the Lakes Tara, Princess Jaclyn, Captain Rob and I are off to the Anoka Halloween Orange Tie Ball on Friday, October 17th. It's a fundraiser for the Anoka Halloween festival and I still can't figure out if I need to buy an orange tie or not. TBD

After that, we have the Anoka Halloween Parade and Coronation on October 25th and the U of M Homecoming Parade on November 1st.

Hope we see you all soon!

Lindsey Peterson
2008 Minneapolis Aquatennial Captain

Captain's Blog 9/16

Greetings all....It's kind of been slow so I thought I'd check in with a little bit of an aside. Just a what we've been up to sort of thing!

This past weekend was Captain Rob's 42nd birthday. So, why not have a party, right?

Now, if you are a loyal reader (and who among you are not?), you probably know Rob and I are very good friends. We knew each other long before Aquatennial and it's through that friendship that Commodore Mary and I asked him to join our nutty family this year.

He may have turned 42 last Friday, but I always joke with him that he's the oldest 15 year old I know. And I mean that. Not in a bad way, mind you. Some of us just need to stay boys. So, 42 is just a mythical number. Years on the planet, not 42 in any way other than that. Well, mostly. You know what I mean.

So, the festivities began around 6pm on Friday night at the Mauzy condo in Minnetonka. They have the best deck in condo history and it was a beautiful night....why not use it?

There were many people on the guest list but I'll just fill you in on the Aquatennial people. Besides Rob and me, we had Commodore Mary, Aqua Board members Skip Nelson and Anne Sumangil who have both become great friends of ours. We also were joined by one of our current Princesses, Jaclyn, and our two former Princesses Jenna and Tzvet. It was great to get everyone together again.

Now, during Aquatennial week, Commodore Mary got Rob and I gifts. She gave us matching T-Shirts that read "Hey Princess.....Bring Me A Beer!". Ummmmm....very fitting. I'll leave it at that. (And NO, we've never asked them to bring us anything....it's a joke! Actually, we take care of them and are happy to do it!)

The Gift Giving During Aquatennial

And Wearing them at the party....I guess the message worked!

Rob and I thought we should wear the shirts for the party. I agreed. And yes, we looked like a couple all night. We had to wear matching polos during Aquatennial week a couple of times and people still make fun of us. Apparantly when a couple of fellas wear matching shirts, you look a little.......how do I say this? Not straight.

Good tip. Take that one with you.

Boys in matching shirts....always a bad thing!

We were joined by a lot of Rob and Amy's family, my friends and other people who are not totally familiar with Aquatennial. This was not a good way to break them in.

See, when you bring us (and I can't believe I'm saying this) Festival people together (I can't believe I'm Festival People), all we talk about is the festival. So, it's Aquatennial all the time. "How was Oak Grove", "I ran into Miss Lakeville the other day", "Anoka has 40 candidates", and on, and on, and on. Getting the picture?

This can be ugly. At one point, a good friend of mine basically ran screaming from the party because he couldn't take it any more. It's more than a little overwhelming. I don't know how Amy does it. We're just flat out annoying after a while.

"I know...seriously. If Rob and LP talk anymore
Aquatennial I'm going to scream! But I love their shirts!"

So, the party went well into the night (and the poor Mauzy's woke up to a living room full of people....thanks for accomodating us!) and fun was had by all. Well, except maybe for Jenna who seemed to be a target of teasing by a couple of my friends. Sorry Princess!

Now, onto what's coming up because we still have a few very exciting events in front of us.

We are about one week away from Oktoberfest in LaCrosse. We head down there on Friday, September 26th and stay through Sunday. Just received the itinerary and it looks like we are going to have a ton of fun. If you'll be in the area, please come see us at the parade. If you dare. I've heard it's quite the scene!

We also are getting ready for Anoka Halloween already. We are about one month away from the "Orange Tie Ball" which is a fundraiser for Anoka that Rob, Tara, Jaclyn and I will be attending. I have no idea where I find an orange tie.

The week after that will be the Anoka Halloween parade and coronation....talked to their coordinator Sharolyn the other night and they have 40 (40!!!!!) candidates this year in Anoka. Good luck judges!

One more that we've just added that is very exciting is the U of M Homecoming Parade on November 1st. That should be a lot of fun. And hopefully we can beat Northwestern!

We are also looking forward to the Cambridge and Hollidazzle parades in December plus a few other scattered appearances coming in. Plus, as I've said, we will end the year at the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena.

That's all for now....talk to you after LaCrosse (if I have any brain cells left)!

Lindsey Peterson
2008 Captain
Minneapolis Aquatennial

Captain's Blog 9/5-9/7

Hi all...finally an update. We had a bit of a lull following the State Fair but a couple of events this past weekend to tell you about. And one of the more interesting side trips we've done yet. Let's just say for now that there was a lot of laundry to be done.

Let's start on Friday night with Oak Grove.

Oak Grove is a community in Anoka County, right in between Ramsey and Andover. Now, I grew up in Anoka, Andover, Big Lake and Elk River (we moved a couple times...I guess I call them all home). Oak Grove is right next to them. Until meeting their royalty a month ago, I had never heard of Oak Grove. Weird. Maybe I should pay attention.

With the Isanti Ambassadors

Anyway, Commodore Mary and I left work Friday night (in case you don't remember, Madame Commodore and I work at WCCO Radio together) and headed to the U of M campus to pick up Queen of the Lakes Tara and Princess Jaclyn. Both are U of M students and last week was the first week of their sophomore years.

As as aside, thank goodness the 35W bridge is set to open very soon (should be open within 2 weeks). It is just a mess trying to get around that area and over the river (and through the woods, to Grandmothers house we go.....sorry, couldn't resist. Yes, I'm singing while I write this. Lovely). Took forever to get down University Avenue. Also, what about the traffic over there once the new U football stadium opens? Ride your bike I guess.

We arrived in Oak Grove and did some minglining before the coronation....our good friends from Cambridge and Anoka were there, Columbia Heights, Big Lake (Go Hornets!) and many more. It had been a while since I'd seen some of them so it was good to catch up.

Oak Grove does it a little differently...they crown girls in four seperate classes. They have the usual high school seniors/juniors but then they add 3 more ages all the way down to 1st/2nd grade (I think...I seem to remember hearing 2nd grade but I may be a year or two off). There were about 4 in each class.

With the new Oak Grove Ambassadors

Here's a little inside info for you...how we kind of work behind the scenes.

It was the first coronation I've done in a while with Commodore Mary. Now, when we are split up, I do the majority of the speaking, the awards, etc. When Mary is there, my job is just to introduce our group and then turn it over to her. Well, I'm used to speaking! I don't typically "prepare" anything. I just kind of wing it. I usually think of a couple of things I pick up while there.

Your friendly, neighborhood Captain blabbering on stage!

Mary (and Tara and Charissa before her, former Princess Jenna, Captain Rob, etc.) tend to work on what they're going to say. They practice it ahead of time with each other (or with me). I started the year doing that. But I've found I do a better job when I just go up and start talking, usually about who I've met, what I've seen or something like that.

Mary is the best public speaker I think I've ever met. She works hard on it and it shows. She does a fantastic job.

I guess why I'm telling you this is because I've noticed we have really become good at this. Not a bragging thing here (I hope this doesn't sound as pompous as I think it does while writing it...not inteded that way). I just think that early in the year, we were not nearly as polished as we are right now. The last few events I did, the two we did over this past weekend and everything I've seen us do lately has been really spot on. Weird how all of a sudded the lightbulb just kind of came on and now we are so much better. Not that we were bad....we're just better.

OK....enough about how great we are. Just wanted to share. I guess that's why I'm writing this! To feed my ego. And if you can't tell, that's sarcasm!!!!

Now, back to Oak Grove. It did happen to be a very long coronation....I mean, obviously they had a lot to do when you crown four classes of royalty. It takes a while. It was entertaining and we enjoyed ourselves. Terrific people and we were glad we could make it.

What little girl doesn't love a Princess?

But by the time I got home, I was spent. At WCCO, we had just emerged from 2 weeks of State Fair and Republican National Convention.....HUGE events for us at work and we really busted our tails on those. So by midnight Friday, the last thing I wanted was to go to another event. Luckily, Saturday was not just another event. It was Gibbon.

If you've been reading this, you know that our former Aquatennial Princess that gave up her crown in July is Jenna Forstner from Gibbon. And we have been looking forward to making it back there for weeks (if not months). We've become such good friends with the people in Gibbon who are involved with their program not to mention many of Jenna's family and friends. This would prove to be as much fun as we've had all year.

Gibbon, as a refresher, is a small town (pop. 880 or so) on highway 19 in Sibley County. It's probably an hour and forty-five minutes or so from Minneapolis (to the south and west). It's mostly agricultural, they LOVE their baseball and some of you who have been around a while will remember the famous Gibbon Ballroom. Which is still there by the way. Coronation was in an adjacent building. But more on that later.

Captain Rob, his wife Amy, Princess Jaclyn and I set out for Gibbon Saturday afternoon. Commodore Mary, Queen Tara and Princess Emily were meeting us there. Rob, Amy and I were also staying overnight at Jenna's parents house. It was going to be a late night so why not just stay, right?

We arrived at Jenna's and she greeted us at the front door. I'd been there before but first time for everyone else. Jenna had Macy, her Rat-Terrier with her. Rob, apparantly not thinking at all, wanted to hold Macy. Have you ever held an over-excited, not been out to do her business in a
while, skittish to begin with dog? What happens? Yep. They pee on you. Nice decision Captain.

Yep...that's going to leave a mark.

So, a change of shirts later and we headed out to Bode Farms where Jenna works part-time milking cows. She wanted us to see what she does which was really fun.

Where the magic happens...and the gloves go on!

Now, I'm not exactly farmer Bill but I've been around farms and farm animals in my life. I've milked a cow before (when I was a kid, we had cows on one side, horses on the other....I'm familiar with the smell). This, however, is a large operation. 350 head (that's number of cows...yeah, I know the terminology!) of cattle that need milking twice a day. That, my friends, is a LOT of work. And a lot of milk.

Rob and I both shot milk on our shirts....don't point that thing at yourself. Helpful tip.

Whooops....Now I need a new shirt!

There....that's better.

We also met one of the calves...very cute. He'd suck on your finger like it was a bottle. Rob (are you sensing a theme here?) was absolutely slimed by him. Think Bill Murray in Ghostbusters...."It got me Ray. I feel so funky!".

Just born the day before...so cute!

Then, it was back to Jenna's to change and get to dinner.

Dinner was where we met the candidates for the first time....and saw Steph, Nickie and Katie who run the program. They've become good friends of ours this year and, naturally, loyal readers of the Captain's Blog!

The candidates did a commercial for their sponsor which was the last bit of judging that was done. And yes, that was all I had to see before I picked a winner. I'm officially getting good at that. I was told before the year got going by former Aqua Ambassadors that by the end, you'll know immediately who will win. They were right. I guess that's why they always ask them to be judges.

And another quick aside....Jenna's mom and Anna Albrecht's mom (Anna was Gibbon's candidate at Aquatennial this year) made dinner. And they did so very well!!! Great cooks. Thanks moms!

Anna with Commodore Mary and the "Two Crazy Captains" as
our reputation apparently now precedes us!

Coronation was great...and unique. It was the first one I can remember that was basically in a bar. It was in conjunction with the Fireman's Dance in Gibbon so they do coronation as a part of that event. It was really fun. HUGE crowd. I think half the town was there. Plus, we could go get a beer after. I'm good with that!

We got up on stage and it was nice to be able to congratulate Jenna in her hometown. As I've said before, she is just a very special person and has become a great friend. Her family and friends, I know, are all very proud of her and what she's done. But I was glad we were able to stand there in front of them and tell them how much she means to us.

Jenna on the left...that's the farm's owner on the right.

Anytime we've been in the hometown of one of the girls, it just takes on a whole new energy. We were in Cokato a while back with Emily and I mentioned that and we still have Anoka coming up which is where our other former Princess, Tzvet is from.

We also surprised Steph with an Honorary Commodore's Award. Nickie secretly nominated her and it was great to shock her with that. We also gave one to Wade Werner who is someone we met way back in April when we were in Winthrop. Again, giving out these awards is always great but when it's someone we know and call a friend, it makes it that much better.

Our Group with Jenna following Coronation

Following coronation, it was party time. They had a great live band and we spent the night dancing (or trying to in my case), talking, catching up, meeting new people and just having a great time. It was a really fun event to be a part of and wonderful friends to share it with. Not only the folks from Gibbon but Princess Jaclyn's parents came down from Hutchinson and it gave us a chance to get to know them better as well.

Our first photo with the new Aquatennial Family!
And it happened in Gibbon!

Well, that is it for a couple weeks. Next up, we have Oktoberfest in LaCrosse which is the last weekend in September. That will be a large event for us so I'm sure lots of stories will come out of that one. Should be really fun.

Everyone keep in touch....lot of photos here but many more on Facebook if you're into that sort of thing. Talk to you in a couple of weeks and for good mojo sake, go Vikings, beat the Pack!!!!!!!!

Lindsey Peterson
2008 Captain
Minneapolis Aquatennial

Captain's Blog 8/23/08....State Fair!

Hello again....we're in the middle of the "great Minnesota get-together". Otherwise known as the State Fair. Saturday, our Aquatennial gang gathered for the State Fair parade and here's the story!

First, this was our inaugural trip on the Aquatennial float with all of our Ambassadors, including the seniors. It was great to finally get everyone together. We met at the warehouse where the float is kept and shuttled ourselves over to the fairgrounds.

Emily, Tara and Jaclyn, very happy to be reunited again!

Now, it was a PERFECT day. 80 degrees, no humidity, sunny skies....the makings of a nightmare on the fairgrounds. I think the whole state attended that day. Looking down some of the streets on the fairgrounds was frightening. That's a lot of cheese curds.

We had some time to kill so while the senior Ambassadors took the float over to the lineup, the rest of us headed into the fair to do some mingling and, of course, get some food.

The world's greatest Turkey Sandwiches! Not to be
missed at the fair. Trust me.

Commodore Mary, Queen Tara, Princesses Jaclyn and Emily and Captain Rob and I made our first stop the WCCO Radio booth. If you have been reading this for a while, you know that Mary and I both work for WCCO (and Rob's wife does also) so we made this home base. We dropped our stuff there, said hello to a few people that were on the air and took a few photos. And, naturally, they made fun of me. When a guy who works for you comes up and slaps you on the butt and says "nice uniform Captain" you know you've made it. Dare to dream, right?

Our Ambassador Group on the WCCO
Radio Porch...sorry for the intrusion Denny Long!

We then headed over to the "Big Slide" (you know...the giant yellow slide you ride down in a potato sack) and the girls went for a ride. Luckily, we lost no crowns and maybe more importantly, the skirts stayed down! Phew.

Big Crowns in front of a Big Slide

By this point, I was suffering. I have the curse of hayfever and this time of year (late August through September) is pure torture. The fair does not help. Birthing barns do not help. Straw bails (not hay...they're straw....thank you Jenna) do not help. If you are a fellow allergy sufferer, you feel my pain. It's really hard to enjoy yourself when you eyes itch.

OK, enough of my problems but I feel better. Because I'm in an air-conditioned room right now.

It was now time to head over to the parade lineup....we helped set up the rest of the float (although the seniors did the majority of it already which was nice of them) and talked to a few people also in the parade. Atwater's Royalty was there who we see a lot over the summer. Yeah, they're the ones that ask me eight million questions about my personal life when I see them. At least someone is interested.

The Crew on the Float with Atwater

Anyway.....the parade was nice. A lot of people as I mentioned earlier. It's also very difficult to clear a parade route through the fair. When a man wants a Pork Chop on a stick, no parade will get in his way. I guarantee you that. Plus, every Mini-Donut stand you go by makes you almost pass out. They're so horribly delicious. I feel fat just typing this.

Speaking of food, the new thing this year is called a Pig-Licker (an unfortunate name if you ask me...but no one asked me). It's bacon, dipped in chocolate. Only the Minnesota State Fair can come up with this stuff.

I've actually tried it....we get to sample a lot of this stuff at the radio station. It tastes like bacon. You can hardly taste the chocolate. Bacon is overwhelming. So why not add chocolate to it? This is why people have diabetes. I think I'll have carrots for lunch.

Following the parade, it was back to the radio booth to change into civilian clothes....shorts, t-shirts, comfortable shoes, etc. We went across the street to Schumacher's where both Jaclyn and Tara's parents were. Yes, they found the place that does Wine Flights. Nice.

And you've been mentioned in the blog Tony....congratulations. Of course it was in conjunction with Wine Flights. Who's your Daddy!

Thanks for taking the picture Dad! From L-R:
Amy, Rob, Jaclyn, Tara, Emily, Me and Anne

We wandered the fair for a little while longer and I should mention that we were joined by Anne Sumangil who, again, if you've been reading this, you know who she is. She's on the Aquatennial board as a Vice-President and is the Director of the Aquatennial Candidate Program.

Anne has become a fast friend of Rob and I and we love it when she hangs out with us! Plus, the girls get to know her so well during their candidate week and it's fun for them to reunite.

After we all inhaled a bucket of French Fries (how on earth do they make those the greatest tasting fries of all time? They're unbelievable!), we parted ways and headed home. But the night was not done.

Saturday was also Tzvet's (our former Aquatennial Princess who crowned Jaclyn in July) 21st Birthday Party. Rob, Amy, Anne and I were meeting Tzvet and a group of her friends at Chino Latino in Uptown to toast her big day!

We enjoyed an always interesting Chino dinner (fish tacos with the HOTTEST Habenero sauce known to man, Jerk Chicken, etc....my mouth is still burning. But it was good!) then headed over to another Uptown hotspot for beverages.

The Crew at Chino Latino

It was so great to see Tzvet again....I've been able to catch up to our other former Princess Jenna a couple of times but had yet to see Tzvet. I've mentioned before what good friends Rob and I became with them and this reminded me how special the two of them really are. They are just awesome. We love you girls!

From L-R: Former Anoka Ambassador and
Aqua Princess Nichelle, Tzvet and Former Anoka Ambassador Christina

Another weekend under our belt and we are now preparing for a few more big events. Here's what's on tap (I should get a beer sponsor for this):

Saturday, August 30th: Rob and Emily are in Dassel for a parade and coronation

Friday, September 5th: Mary, Tara, Jaclyn and I will be in Oak Grove for their coronation

Saturday, September 6th: All six of us (Mary, Tara, Jaclyn, Emily, Rob and I) are in Gibbon for their coronation and Rob and I will be staying for the Fireman's Dance that night. Because sometimes, you just need to dance. Right. I wouldn't believe a word I write after that last statement.

Sunday, September 7th: Mary, Tara and all of the Senior Ambassadors will be in Northfield for the Defeat of Jesse James Days Parade which I've heard is a blast...get there and check it out if you can.

And again, the end of the month we are all in LaCrosse for Oktoberfest...we are all really looking forward to that and hope to see many of you there. By the way, if you don't have a hotel room, you're out of luck...couple friends of mine tried to get a room couple of weeks ago and the hotels they called laughed at them. No kidding. Booked a year in advance. This will be interesting.

Talk to all of you soon!

Lindsey Peterson
2008 Captain
Minneapolis Aquatennial

Captain's Log 8/16-8/19

Greetings again Aquatennial-ites! One more busy weekend in the books and here's what went down.

This past Saturday, Princess Emily and I were off to the east side, a rare trip towards St. Paul for me. We were in the St. Paul Park Heritage Days Parade, the first time (according to the folks in St. Paul Park) that Aquatennial had ever been in their parade!

The Royalty gathers in St. Paul Park

We arrived in downtown St. Paul Park around 9am. St. Paul Park is on the South East side of St. Paul towards the Cottage Grove/Inver Grove Heights area. You know that big oil refinery that's on hwy 10. by the Mississippi River as you head towards Red Wing? That's the place. Great golf course down there...Mississippi Dunes. Quick plug. Oh yeah...I don't get paid for this. Nevermind.

We met one of the coordinators, Jim, and he drove us over to Heritage Park where there was a Queen's Tea. By Queen's Tea, I mean donuts and orange juice. Emily was afraid they'd have tea. She doesn't like tea. It was too hot for tea anyway! OJ is just fine. Mmmmmm....donuts.

Yeah...this is what I'm starting to look like. D'oh!

After the tea (so to speak), we had some time to take photos. One thing I LOVE about taking photos at these (yes, I'm in full sarcasm mode), is facing the sun for about 20 minutes and trying to keep your eyes open. Oh, and I have hayfever this time of year. It's like torture trying to keep your eyes open! Our life is so glamorous.

It's so difficult, Emily can't even look anymore!

For the parade, we were lined up 9th (yeah, sometimes it's good to be Aquatennial...we always get the good parade spot and don't think we don't know that!) and right next to the Woodbury float. Kind of the first time we've hung out with them and they were very nice. Thanks for the water by the way!

Emily Checks out the Woodbury Float

Parade was great...wound through a neighborhood before running through the "downtown" area. By downtown, I mean bars. They have a good time in St. Paul Park!

They also do something unique....mud volleyball! Yes, mud. They dig out a court, the fireman fill it with water, and they play volleyball in it. Looked like fun. It also looked like a long shower. And beer. Good times!

We wrapped up the day with a quick lunch at the legion...and for the first time ALL YEAR, I spilled on myself. Ketchup and mustard. I can't believe it took this long. Stains came out so you can all stop worrying. Thank goodness it was at the end of the day. My "Lake Whites" don't look that good with a red and yellow blotch in the middle of the shirt. Well, usually.

Sunday was a day long trip to Montrose, Minnesota. Have you seen the movie "Drop Dead Gorgeous with Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards and Kirsty Alley? It's about a pageant in a made up Minnesota town called Mount Rose. We (by we, I mean a couple of knuckleheads I know) have always thought it's based off of the real town of Montrose. Sounds right to me!

As a side note, I've always thought "Drop Dead Gorgeous" was hilarious. This past year makes it one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. If you've missed it, check it out. Obviously it's over the top but some of it really hits home!

Princess Emily and I met in the morning and were off to the Community Center for a brunch. We were seated at the head table with the Montrose Royalty which is always a great honor for us but I can't help but feel weird. I'm in a place I've really never been to, meeting a lot of people for the first time, and they sit us right at the head table so everyone can watch us eat. It is absolutely a sign of respect for Aquatennial and we're happy to carry on with that but I'm just saying, I don't think of myself as that important. So it feels weird.

The good news is, best brunch so far. What's better than cheesy potatoes? I mean really....name something. I'll wait. Anything? Didn't think so. (Do Captain Rob and I talk too much about food? I think we do. That's why I am starting to look like Homer. D'oh! By the way, this will be my pop-culture reference entry I guess.)

Now, a quick story about the parade. We were driven by a volunteer and her daughter in a convertible....nothing unusual yet. However, when we arrived at lineup and I was putting our signs on the car, she asked if she could put a sign on the car also. It was a magnetic photo of a man named Jim Kelly. It read, "Jim Kelly- In Loving Memory".

The tribute to Jim Kelly

Turns out the car we were in was Jim's and he had passed away this year. Jim Kelly had been the driver for the Aquatennial Ambassadors for years, according to our driver. He was a great volunteer in town and was someone they greatly missed. It was our honor to be in his car and for it to be a tribute to someone who had done so much for the community.

I also want to say something about the visiting royalty. At each of these festivals, we hear the outgoing royalty say something at coronation about the "Sparkle Section" and how they're going to "Miss those girls!", etc.

The "Sparkle Section"...oh, and
some dude in the middle who doesn't sparkle

Every one of these festivals invites numerous other community festivals to they're parade, coronation, dinner...whatever they're doing. Most of the time, a few show up, sometimes a TON of them show up. In Montrose, a TON of them showed up.

Here's where I finally say hi to my hometown of Big Lake as I finally got to meet the girls from Spud Fest (yes, Spud Fest....we like potatoes). We weren't at Spud Fest which is in June....not sure if we don't get invited or why that is but either way, it was nice to see them. They have Mashed Potato Wrestling at Spud Fest. Awesome.

Cokato Royalty in black, Big Lake in yellow
and Emily and I in front....that's a big potato

Anoka had a large presence in Montrose as well. In addition to their Royal Ambassadors Alyssa, Janelle and Taryn (who we love...they're really fun!), the three judges were from Anoka. Sharolyn Carlson, who is the Anoka Royalty Coordinator, and her sister were there along with the former Anoka Royal Ambassador and 2007 Aquatennial Princess, Nichelle Hackert (notice I introduced her properly....yeah, I'm that good. I'm a total dork and I realize that so save your breath).

Me, Alyssa, Taryn, Janelle and Emily...Hi Anoka!

Coronation went really well....it was a fun program with great girls. They both (they only crowned two this year) were very emotional when they were crowned and it's nice to see that it means so much to them.

Princess Emily and Me with New Montrose Royalty

That's it for now....we have a slow down finally as we head into the last 2 weeks of August and school is starting up soon. There's still a scattered few events to tell you about and a couple of really big festivals for us. Here's what's coming up!

Saturday, August 23rd- We are at the State Fair Parade (State Fair starts Thursday!!!!!!!What happened to summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and for the first time since Aquatennial, we will all appear as a group in a parade. Love to see you on Saturday afternoon in your pickle hats and "I Love Don Shelby" T-shirts while eating a Pronto Pup and Fudge Puppy at the Fair! Yes, you people look like that. Sorry. Mmmmmmm.....Pronto Pups. I have to stop now.

Why would you do this on purpose?
I think this may be Rob. I'm not sure but it could be.

Sunday, August 24th and Monday, August 25th- Woodbury Days....Commodore Mary and Queen of the Lakes Tara will be there both days in the town Mary calls home!

Saturday, August 30th- That is Dassel Red Rooster Days where Princess Emily and Captain Rob will be (we still may add a couple of us to that one...TBD)

Saturday, September 6th- A big day for us....all six Ambassadors will be in Gibbon for their coronation. Gibbon, of course, being the home of former Aquatennial Princess and the one and only Jenna Forstner We are thrilled to be going there to see her and everyone else who have become our friends over the last year.

Sunday, September 7th- the Defeat of Jesse James Days Parade in Northfield. Commodore Mary, Queen Tara and the Senior Ambassadors will be there.

Also, we have Oktoberfest in LaCrosse the end of September and Anoka Halloween coming up in October (our other former Aquatennial Princess Tzvetelina Pramatarov's hometown and we can't wait to see her either!). We are all really looking forward to those. Cambridge's Snowflake Parade and the Hollidazzle follow that.

And, finally, we are getting our travel plans in place for the end of the year as we will celebrate the coming of 2009 in Pasadena and the Tournament of Roses! I'm really fired up for this because I MAY be the world's biggest college football fan (the Rose Bowl!!!!!! Hello!!!!!!!!!!) plus it never hurts to go to sunny California in December/January. Just sayin.

Wow....I'm talking about our last few events. Not sure I'm ready to hang up the Captain's hat. Never thought I'd say that. What a trip.