Newly crowned Miss Litchfield Maddy Larson and princesses Hannah Schacherer and Courtney Smith didn’t get much sleep Sunday night.
Although a late night preceded an early morning, elation prevailed.
“I was so excited,” Schacherer said.
The new Litchfield Royalty court quickly brushed aside fatigue and adorned their heads with sparkle.
“I was like ‘Woo, let’s go!’” Smith said of waking up a Litchfield princess.
Larson, the daughter of Michelle and Jeremy Larson, was crowned the 61st annual Miss Litchfield Sunday evening in Bernie Aaker Auditorium.
Schacherer, the daughter of Juliana and Brent Schacherer, and Smith, the daughter of Jennie and Dennis Smith, were crowned princesses.
Nine candidates competed for the crown this year: Amanda Buck, Maddie Grates, Kristina-Marie Christopherson, Larson, Kayla Liestman, Brianna Larson, Morgan Randt, Schacherer and Smith. Candidates performed a dance routine to “Born This Way” and “Just Like Fire” with 2016 royalty, a final look, presented their formal gowns, answered fish bowl questions and performed a “final look,” accompanied by Litchfield firefighters, to the song “This Girl is on Fire.” The coronation was emceed by former Litchfield royalty Mindy Field and Chastity Valvick.
Ending their reign were 2016-17 Miss Litchfield Hailey Stoffer and 2016-17 Princess Justine Madsen. Representatives from the Minneapolis Aquatennial announced that Stoffer is a candidate for Queen of the Lakes, who will be crowned July 22.
“We will always remember the friendships and memories that were made throughout this experience, and we couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Stoffer and Madsen wrote.
Larson will be a senior at Litchfield High School this fall. After high school, she is considering a nursing or education major.
Schacherer, a 2017 LHS graduate, plans to pursue a degree in marketing communications from Minnesota State University-Mankato this fall.
Smith, a 2017 LHS graduate, plans to pursue a degree in nursing from Minnesota State University-Mankato this fall.
On Monday morning, the shock still hadn’t worn off.
“It hasn’t hit me yet,” Larson said. “It’s kind of a surreal feeling.”
For Larson, representing her community is a longtime dream realized.
As a little girl, it was “all about the crown,” Larson said, but she has since learned “it’s more about who you are and how you help people.” Larson added, “It’s not about what you look like or your smile; it’s about how you treat people and what you have to offer.”
Larson said she’s grateful to have “two awesome girls” beginning this journey with her. “I think we’re going to have a good year,” she said, “and just represent well.”
“Out of the nine girls, it was exciting to be one of the three to be picked,” Schacherer said.
As a young girl, Schacherer dreamed of wearing a sparkly crown, waving in parades and representing a community that’s special to her. “Ever since I was little, I wanted to run,” she said.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Smith said. “We’ve all been like dreaming of it for the past four months, but none of us expected it because we have nine candidates who we all thought could get it.”
Smith decided to run for Miss Litchfield in February. “So I’m glad I did,” she said.
The girls agreed the judges had a tough decision, because all the candidates were great.
Each girl will focus on a volunteer platform during their year of reign.
Larson plans to volunteer at local daycares, Schacherer to hold toy drives for patients of Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis and Smith to volunteer at local senior-living facilities.
Larson strives to be a positive role model to younger girls, encouraging them to emulate a respectful attitude and to make healthy choices. “Just so they have someone to look up to,” she said.
Schacherer’s volunteer platform will build on a request she made as a fifth grader. For her birthday that year, she asked for donations to Children’s Hospital in lieu of gifts.
“When I was younger, I was an outpatient at that hospital, and I wanted to bring toys to the kids ... bring smiles to their faces,” Schacherer said. Now an adult, she knows she can do so much more to lift the spirits of young patients.
A nurses’ assistant at Ecumen and Meeker Manor, Smith chose working with older adults as her volunteer platform because, often, she said, they don’t get one-on-one time with young people. “It would be really fun to give that to them because they appreciate it more than we think,” she said.
The new royalty thanked the community, the Watercade Board and their sponsors for continued support.
Co-commodores for 2017 are Sharaya Hagen and Erika Hart.
“We are just so excited for this year,” Hagen said.
Hagen said she is excited for the girls to launch their volunteer projects, a new addition to the Watercade program that will enable them to serve the Litchfield area and to expand outreach to the Twin Cities, broadening the Watercade program’s presence. “It’s not about the crown; it’s about the opportunity that comes with it,” she said.
“That’s what this is all about is the volunteerism,” Hagen said. “Every single one of the nine (candidates) was in this for the right reason and focused on giving back.”
Copyright 2017 Litchfield Independent Review/Crow River Media/Media News Group.