Alyssa Sigafus, the 2016 Queen of the Snows of the St. Paul Winter Carnival, was born in Monticello, grew up in Big Lake, lives in Plymouth and works in Minneapolis.
But in other ways, Sigafus, 26, is as St. Paul as it gets:
She’s a half-Irish redhead who knows how to dance a jig.
Here are 13 questions we asked the new Aurora, Queen of the Snows, at 7 a.m. on Saturday, the morning after her coronation. Sigafus, who is sponsored by Ideal Printers, spoke with us from the lobby of the Saint Paul Hotel shortly before she boarded the royal carriage — a bus — for a full day of appearances with King Boreas and the rest of the royal family (including a seat atop a float in the Grande Day Parade):
How many hands did you shake at the reception after coronation last night?
“Gosh, I don’t know; I felt like I was in a dream so it’s hard to quantify. More than I ever have in one setting before — and I had a large wedding!”
You had to get fitted for your royal wardrobe afterward. How much sleep did you get?
“I napped from about 4:30 a.m. to 5:45 a.m.”
How does it feel to be Queen of the Snows?
“Unreal!”
How do you keep that crown on your head?
“With a lot of help: There’s a comb on the inside that hooks into the hair and then you pin everything down — a lot of barrettes and bobby pins.”
Who is our new queen? Tell us about you.
“I’m from Big Lake. I was born in Minnesota — in Monticello. My dad was in the military so I was on a plane 13 days after I was born. We moved to Colorado and came back when I was four and I’ve been a Big Lake resident ever since, until I finished college and my husband and I moved to Plymouth.
“I have a blended family: I have seven younger brothers and I’m the oldest and only girl. It made growing up a lot of fun.
“My husband, Daniel, and I have a daughter, Sophia Lyn-Rose, who is 2.
My husband and I both work at Ameriprise Financial Services. I’m finishing my bachelor’s degree in communications and leadership from the U of M. I also have a deaf/hard of hearing certificate.”
How did you come to learn American Sign Language?
“While going to school, I worked — I worked with special-needs students and I had one particular student that used sign language to communicate because he had severe autism and was not a verbal speaker. So that got me really interested in sign language and I started to take classes. I was asked to be a language facilitator and got into deaf and hard of hearing from that and deaf-blind intervening as well.”
You’re from the west metro. Why run for the St. Paul crown?
“I visited the St. Paul Winter Carnival in my role as a Big Lake Ambassador (a royal title) in 2006-2007. My connection to St. Paul prior to that is my family would make a tradition to come down and see the ice sculptures or the castle or whatever was going on. My mother and grandmother and I would do that.
“As a visiting ambassador, I really got to experience the legend, which touched my heart in more ways than I could explain. I said, ‘One day I will do this.’ At that point, I wanted to be a part of it in any capacity — I just wanted to be part of the family, truthfully.
“The reason I ran is, I think it’s important to give back to those who spend time giving to others and to be a daymaker for those people. and just to spread the legend — I think it’s such a unique thing St. Paul has, to have a legend along with their festival. and it really brightens up that dark time of the winter.”
Why do you think you were chosen?
“All of the other 17 ladies were excellent candidates. They’re building a team and they had to find a team they felt would work. They said they saw a leader in me. I’m very organized.”
Did your daughter attend coronation last night?
“She did not; we’re pretty strict about bedtime being 7:30. She was with my grandparents.”
How will you balance work, family and the crown?
“I have a great support system: My husband, my parents, my in-laws, my friends. Everyone kind of understands the royal world, they’ve been involved since 2006-2007 when I was a Big Lake Ambassador and I’ve stayed pretty current with the (Big Lake) committee.”
How will you stay warm during Winter Carnival?
“The cold doesn’t bother me. I’m the girl that you’ll catch without a hat or mittens sometimes.”
What’s this about you knowing traditional Irish stepdancing?
“I’m half Irish, half Greek and I actually danced at the Irish Fair this past August. I was fascinated by it, I’ve been to Ireland a few times when I was younger and I did Irish stepdancing. I kind of quit for awhile and then, actually, I lost my mom three years ago to a drunk driver. It’s been a hard process for me. But this past year, I put my foot down and said, ‘I’m really going to do stuff for me and just make it happen.’ Stepdancing was one of the things I really wanted to get back to for a long time. I love it and it’s been so much fun and I spent my summer performing.”
Will you do a little jig for us?
“Um … I could but not right now. My feet really hurt from wearing high heels!”
Molly Guthrey can be reached at 651-228-5505.
Copyright 2016 Pioneer Press.