Andreen crowned Jr. Miss Waterville
It wouldn’t be a small-town festival without a pageant. And with Bullhead Days comes the crowning of Miss Waterville.
On Friday, June 7, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown High School’s auditorium was the place to be for the 67th Annual Miss Waterville Pageant. This year’s Miss Waterville title went to Claire Elness, daughter of Aubrey and Troy Wetzel and Alec Elness. Joining her as an attendant is Ryley Henning, daughter of Ashley and Zach Thorne as well as Laurentino Concepcion and Angelica Carrillo. Joining them as part of the royalty are Jr. Miss Waterville Eve Andree, daughter of Kyle and Taisha Andree, and her attendants Annabelle Krienke (daughter of Justin and Alexis Krienke) and Khaleesi Hagel (daughter of Elishia Cooper and Adam Hagel).
The beginning of the pageant started with the presentation of the 2023 royalty, which included Miss Waterville, Izabela Slechta, Jr. Miss Waterville, Leena Andree, and Jr. Miss Attendants Alaina Joubert and Kylie Krienke.
Miss Waterville’s attendant, Shelby Briggs, could not make the pageant because she is currently in basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina as a member of the National Guard. Instead, she sent in a video wishing the contestants luck and sharing some of her favorite memories.
When asked what made her decide to be in the National Guard, she replied. “I’ve wanted to be in the National Guard since I was a little girl. One of my earliest memories about wanting to join was in seventh grade when our teachers asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. My instant thought was, and I screamed, ‘I want to be in the National Guard!’”
Being part of Miss Waterville, her favorite memories were being in the parades and going to festivals around the local area and the state with the Miss Waterville Royalty. “It was one great family. We did everything together. It wasn’t ever the same with everybody else.” Her favorite celebration they attended was the Jesse James Days in Northfield.
Her advice to the contestants? “I have three things: sunscreen, umbrella, and time management. There are going to be so many parades where you will get burned, you will get rained on, or you will probably be late. But you’ll still have fun anyway.”
With that, Briggs signed off for the final time as Miss Waterville’s attendant.
The Jr. Miss Contestants this year were Eve Andree, Ella Ferch, Khaleesi Hagel, Zaiah Kern, and Annabelle Krienke. All five performed heartwarming and hilarious performances of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” “The Baby Bumblebee Song,” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”
The pair of Miss Waterville contestants had to do a little bit more to make their case for the crown. They showed off their gowns and their casual wear, performed their talent, and had a question to answer. Elness’s talent was performing “In Dreams,” a piece by Howard Shore featured in “The Fellowship of the Ring,” on piano. Henning performed her rendition of “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars.
The two candidates were also asked the same question, “What makes Waterville special to you?”
Elness: “One hundred percent, it’s the community. The community comes together in so many ways for so many reasons. One example I can think of is a few years ago, we had a really bad tornado here. My neighborhood got hit pretty bad. There were power lines and trees down everywhere. People came from across the city to help us, people that we didn’t even know. And they didn’t have to. That’s an example of how our community is so special.”
Henning: “Something that makes Waterville special to me is the people that are in it, like my friends, my family, and some friends that I consider family because of how close I am to them. Another thing would have to be…probably the fish. I feel like a lot of people talk about fish. I usually don’t fish, but I enjoy it when my family brings me along.”
While the judges exited the auditorium to compile their scores and crown a candidate, Slechta shared a slideshow featuring all the memories she and her fellow royalty made. To begin her speech, she jokingly apologized for her “terrible public speaking skills.” “Believe it or not, they have improved in the last year.”
More seriously, she shared some memories she had, including watching her attendant eat her first Kolacky at Kolacky Days in Montgomery, slipping on the ice at the Minnesota Wild hockey rink (even though she was the only hockey player on the Miss Waterville royalty), going to the Twins’ game, and attending the 2024 Winter Carnival in the Twin Cities.
She had very kind words to share about Briggs: “You were my partner in crime for every parade. I know she couldn’t be here tonight because she is at basic training, but I want everyone here to know that I gained a friend of a lifetime.”
Slechta became a little teary-eyed when talking about the Jr. Miss Waterville royalty. “The three of you littles I never expected, and I am so incredibly honored to have been your big. I can’t think of anyone who’s ever made me laugh so hard or given me so much attitude in my life. You three were a treasure. I don’t think I would have gotten through the long parades without your smiles.”
She also made sure to thank the committee, Kamp Dels (her sponsor), her parents and family, and everyone involved in her time as Miss Waterville. “So, for the last time, I’m your 2023 Miss Waterville, Izabela Slechta.”
As part of their time representing Waterville, Slechta and Briggs were given scholarships from the Waterville Lions; Slechta’s was $1,000 while Briggs was given $500.
To give the judges additional time, Just For Kix provided some entertainment by dancing. The pageant concluded with the crowning of Elness as Miss Waterville and Henning as her attendant. In addition to the crowning, Henning was given the talent award.
There are many that made the pageant possible, the first being the emcees Connor Domonoske and Hunter Williamette; both have emceed the event for a few years now. Others include pianist Dawn Johnson, Brenda Domonoske, Lake Region Life Newspaper, the WEM School Staff, and many others.
It will be the start of a very busy summer for Miss Waterville and her fellow royalty. Remember that sunscreen, umbrella, and most importantly, stay on schedule!
