They wear sensible winter boots. Some of them like to fish and hunt. Others ice skate, snowmobile and eat lutefisk to pass the time in this cold season. They all like snow – of course.
They are the 17 candidates for the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Queen of the Snows.
On Thursday, one of them will be crowned queen, and four will be named princesses during coronation at RiverCentre’s Grand Ballroom. It will be followed by a year of public appearances at parades, festivals, schools, nursing homes and other places and events suitable for calling on by royal court members, who serve as goodwill ambassadors for St. Paul and its winter festival.
It is part of a St. Paul tradition that dates back to 1886, when Mrs. Albert Sheffer, wife of the Winter Carnival president, first reigned as queen. She probably wore sensible winter boots, too.
Amanda Arnold, 21, White Bear Lake, is sponsored by White Bear Glass. Arnold is studying at Century College to be a dental assistant and works at Caribou Coffee and Salon Cheveux.
What makes you Minnesotan? “I like to fish. I also recently learned how to shoot a bow and arrow.”
Erin DeVahl, 23, Woodbury, is sponsored by the law firm of McCullough, Bowden & Cyr. DeVahl works as a lead hostess at Zelo. She served as Miss Woodbury in 2005-06. DeVahl trail rides and barrel races with her quarter horse, Lea.
Have you ever searched for the medallion? “To be honest, no. But when I sell (Winter Carnival) buttons now, people ask me, ‘Do you know where it is?'”
Jennifer Drews-Olson, 33, Shoreview, is sponsored by Twin City Paper Supply. A category analyst for Hanes, she also takes a gymnastics class and is active in Toastmasters. Drews-Olson was the first in her family to attend college, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and a master’s from Bethel University. She and her husband of six years met at Grand Old Day.
How she survives winters in Minnesota: “I just curl up and read and scrapbook.”
Kelly Freiermuth, 26, Hastings, is sponsored by the Rice Street Festival. Freiermuth is pursuing a degree in elementary education at the College of St. Catherine and is an administrative assistant at Kelly Services. She served as a Rice Street Festival princess in 2006-07 and performed as a hockey cheerleader in high school and at Minnesota State University (Mankato). Freiermuth likes to spend time with her cocker spaniel, Lucky.
What’s your beverage of choice for staying warm in the winter? “I love the white hot chocolate at Caribou, which I order with a shot of mint.”
Melissa Gaulke, 24, Elk River, is sponsored by United Products. Gaulke and her fiancé scheduled their wedding for this October, because she expects her sister, Jessica Gaulke Chayer, the former Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes who stepped down to serve in Iraq, will be home by then. Gaulke is a program manager at Mains’l Services Inc. She served as a Robbinsdale Princess in 2004-05 and is a graduate of Augsburg College, the first member of her family to graduate from college.
What’s your position on the movie “Fargo”? “It’s hilarious. The movie exaggerates the accent and how we really do things.”
Danci Greene, 26, Minneapolis, is sponsored by Great Waters Brewing Co. Greene is a family advocate at the Tubman Family Alliance. She was a Northeast Minneapolis Princess in 2000-01 and is the secretary on the board of directors of the Northeast Minneapolis Royalty Scholarship Program.
What do you like best and least about winter? “My favorite thing about winter is when it snows, the way it looks; my least favorite is driving in that snow.”
Ashley Harville, 25, Minneapolis, is sponsored by Strategic Events Solutions. Harville grew up an Air Force brat, but Minnesota became her home in high school, after her father became a Northwest Airlines pilot. Harville, a graduate student at the University of St. Thomas, might buy a home in the east metro in the next year. Harville also wants to earn a doctorate and work as a college administrator. She works as an application reader at the University of Minnesota’s Office of Admissions.
Favorite hotdish: green bean casserole
Lyssa Leitner, 24, St. Paul, is sponsored by Warners’ Stellian. Leitner was raised by “a Frogtowner and an Eastsider” in Mendota Heights, so she is, of course, steeped in Winter Carnival knowledge. Having earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Minnesota, she is a project manager for the Nature Group, a landscape architecture firm.
Favorite outdoor sport: broomball
Natalie Patrick, 21, South St. Paul, is sponsored by the Twin Cities Foot and Ankle Clinic. Patrick is studying art education and psychology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She served as a South St. Paul Princess in 2004-05.
What kind of winter boots do you wear? “I’ve got heavy duty ‘The North Face’ winter boats with fur lining that go to the mid-calf and help me survive Duluth winters.”
Nicole Paul, 22, South St. Paul, is sponsored by Re/Max Realty 100 LLC. Paul is an assistant manager at DSW Shoes in Roseville, but as a lifelong dancer, her dream is to own a dance studio. She served as a 2003-04 Payne-Arcade festival princess.
How many winter coats do you own? “Um, let’s see, I have one, two, three, four – probably five,” Paul says, laughing.
Emily Seefeld, 24, Mendota Heights, is sponsored by M.R. Danielson Advertising. Seefeld, who recently graduated from Bethel University with a degree in athletics training, is pursuing a degree in massage therapy at Everest Institute. Her goal is to own a massage clinic specializing in therapy for athletes. She served as a West St. Paul Princess in 2005.
Favorite winter comfort food: “I love to eat chili at the very start of winter; it’s my kickoff to winter.”
Erin Smith, 22, Cambridge, is sponsored by FFP Wealth Management. Smith, who works as a certified pharmacy technician at Merwin Long Term Care Pharmacy, is taking pre-pharmacy prerequisites at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. She hopes to attend pharmacy school at the University of Minnesota. Smith was a 2004 Cambridge Ambassador and enjoys snowmobiling.
Do you eat lutefisk? “Yes, usually around Christmas time; I have ever since I was a kid. It’s a tradition that dates back to my great-grandfather, who is 100 percent Swedish, and his family – his parents came over from Sweden. I love everything about it – the taste, the texture.”
Tammy Solberg, 22, River Falls, Wis., is sponsored by CD Enterprises. Solberg served as the 2004 St. Paul Park Miss Heritage Days. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, she is an office manager at Ashley Furniture. A newlywed, Solberg and her husband hope to soon own a dairy farm in western Wisconsin.
Favorite Winter Carnival event or activity: “The Grand Day Parade; it’s so much fun to come out and watch the parade and the kids. I don’t mind the cold; you just have to bundle up.”
Brooke Stoeckel, 26, Edina, is sponsored by VMN Convention Bureau. Stoeckel, an Augsburg College graduate, is a sales manager for the VMN (Visit Minneapolis North) Convention Bureau. Stoeckel served as a Cambridge Ambassador in 1999-2000. An outdoor enthusiast, Stoeckel enjoys camping, deer hunting, snowboarding and white-water rafting.
Age she first bagged a deer: 15
Stephanie Turner, 22, St. Paul, is sponsored by Seven Corners Printing. Turner is pursuing a nursing degree at Inver Hills Community College while working as a nursing assistant. She was a West St. Paul Princess in 2005-06. In September, Turner will serve as a crewmember on the Breast Cancer 3-Day, a 60-mile walk to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. Turner, who also participated in the event last year, does this in memory of her grandmother, who died of breast cancer.
If there was a faceoff between Klondike Kate and the Queen of the Snows, who would win? “I guess I would say the queen would win, because she’s the queen, she’s the ruler.”
Jessica Westeren, 28, East Bethel, is sponsored by Brown & Bigelow. Westeren, who has a degree in elementary education from Minnesota State University-Moorhead, works in customer technical support at Thomson West. Her goals include beginning a teaching career and trying to make at least 15 people laugh or smile every day. Her hobbies include scrapbooking, quilting and reading mysteries. She also loves to ice skate and is introducing the activity to her 2½-year-old daughter, Autumn.
How old were you when you learned to ice skate? “I think I was 8 – I have a picture of myself skating in front of a St. Paul Winter Carnival ice palace. There’s something magical about skating outside. I still skate outside – on the pond in my back yard.”
Rochelle Westlund, 25, Roseville, is sponsored by JE Antiques. Westlund is a student at William Mitchell College of Law. She hopes to pursue a career in criminal defense. She is also an intern with the Washington County public defender’s office and a sales associate at Savvi Formalwear in Woodbury. She enjoys waterskiing and hiking at her family’s lake cabin.
If you were assigned to create an ice sculpture, what would it be? “I’d make Babe the Blue Ox.”
Molly Millett can be reached at 651-228-5505 or mollymillett@pioneerpress.com.
Copyright 2008 Pioneer Press.