As the reigns of 2018-2019 Litchfield Royalty wraps up for Miss Litchfield Brianna Larson and Princess Laura Shoutz, their ties to the role will never cease.
Six candidates vie for the title of Miss Litchfield for 2019-2020 with three girls selected as Litchfield Royalty. While Litchfield celebrates its 150th anniversary, Watercade will pay homage to the town’s history. Being a part of the 150th celebration of Litchfield and tying it to Watercade’s 63rd annual event is something special to Larson.
Larson said the experience of being the 62nd Miss Litchfield will stick with her and all past royalty.
“We are constantly in this line of sisterhood,” Larson said. “We will always be connected.”
Shoutz said she has enjoyed her experience as a princess, coming from a non-traditional royalty background and growing up around agriculture.
“Promoting agriculture was my reason for running because it is such an important part of Litchfield that’s often not talked about,” Shoutz said. “I wanted to get agriculture and farmers recognized for all that they do in our community.”
Along with the parades and festivities that come with the title, Larson enjoyed representing her home town. She said it was a totally different experience from being a candidate to being crowned.
“It’s crazy how fast these past nine months have gone by from volunteering in Litchfield to towns two hours away,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting how much the community would impact me. It’s great to walk into a restaurant and have people recognize me as Miss Litchfield and ask about my year.”
Shoutz said one of her favorite experiences as a Princess was getting to wear her crown while showing her rabbit during a 4-H event.
“I even got to wear my sash while riding the entry for the bulls and barrels event at the fair,” Shoutz said. “Any chance I can get to wear my sash and cowboy boots to represent Meeker County (is a good experience).”
While attending school at St. Ben’s, Larson juggled her studies to become a nurse while holding the title of Miss Litchfield. Although it came with challenges, she said she doesn’t regret getting the crown.
“I loved it 100 percent,” Larson said. “It was a big transition from living at home in high school to only coming to Litchfield on the weekends. I was grateful.”
Shoutz also balanced school, work and being Litchfield royalty, attending Ridgewater College in Willmar studying agriculture.
“At times it gets stressful with a full course load, working and handling royalty responsibilities, but it was a good kind of stressful,” Shoutz said. “Living close to home was helpful.”
The six hopeful Miss Litchfield candidates all show qualities to hold the title, Larson said.
“Three are in marching band and three are in FFA,” she said. “All six are well-spoken, eloquent and carry themselves with grace. Watching the new girls come out of their bubble and grow has been incredible.”
Shoutz said she was excited to see how these girls progress and become more professional.
“It’s an important part of getting into the workforce or a career,” Shoutz said. “A lot of people don’t have the ability to speak in front of people in a professional, well-thought out manner. Three of these girls are in FFA members. They are all very involved with stuff and it attests to their drive to be a part of things.”
Larson hopes that the girls will take pride in whoever gets crowned and not take it too personally if they don’t get Miss Litchfield. She said although she didn’t get crowned the first year she ran, she tried again and was selected.
“This isn’t a winning or losing experience,” Larson said. “It’s like a job interview. If you are lucky enough, you will be one of the three selected. When people are hiring for a job, they don’t see the applicants they didn’t choose as losers.”
Copyright 2019 Litchfield Independent Review/Crow River Media/Media News Group.