Miss Mountain Lake Danica Dick, Little Miss Khloe Saelee
Miss – and Little Miss – Mountain Lake candidates were on the stage of the Mountain Lake Public High School auditorium tonight (Friday, June 17) to give their regards to “Broadway” under the pageant’s theme. The event is the kick-off for Pow Wow activities
Crowned as 2016 Miss Mountain Lake was Danica Dick, the daughter of Steve and Cheryl Dick and named the 2016 Little Miss Mountain Lake was Khloe Saelee, whose parents are Bay and Toni Saelee.
In addition to achieving the queen crown – for which she received a $500 scholarship from the Mountain Lake Area Chamber of Commerce – Danica was also recognized as the Talent Winner, with $100 in cash from the Chamber – and was voted by her fellow contestants as Miss Congeniality, receiving $50 in cash from the Chamber.
Named the 2016 Miss Mountain Lake First Runner-Up was Emily Jahnke, the daughter of Kurt and Heidi Jahnke, with Lexia Peters, daughter of Steve and Julie Peters, recognized as the 2016 Miss Mountain Lake Second Runner-Up. Emily was presented with a $250 scholarship from the Chamber, and Lexia received a $150 scholarship from the Chamber.
Twelve candidates were vying wear the crown of 2016 Miss Mountain Lake, with eight little girls, all who had just completed second grade, participants in the Little Miss portion of the pageant.
The remaining Miss Mountain Lake candidates, who – including Queen Danica, First Runner-Up Emily and Second Runner-Up Lexia – have just completed their junior year in high school, were Liana Blomgren, Jaden Hoek, Katherine Hofmann, Rebekah Klassen, Kalley Rempel, Karen Soutthivong, Meredith Suess, Brook Sunderman and Kassandra Tellez.
The additional Little Miss candidates included Audrina Bennett, Julia Brinkman, Reagan Christians, Kelby Janzen, Ashlyn Pfeiffer, Lily Youngwirth and Aleena Vetsouvanh.
Craig and Deb Faber were the pageant’s Host and Hostess. Craig is employed by Christianson Farms, and Deb is a teacher for the St. James Public School District. They have three children, Jae, Jon and Joey.
Judging for Miss Mountain Lake is done through personal interview, sportswear dance, talent and poise and appearance. Directing and choreographing the Miss Mountain Lake portion of the pageant were Alisa Nickel and Jami Peters. In addition, Nickel was the set director and Peters, the musical director. The trio of judges for the 2016 pageant included Alison Penner Rahn, Roz Adler and Becky Poppen.
The Little Miss is determined by drawing of the winning name. Jami Peters and Sarah Mendoza handle the duties coordinated the Little Miss portion of the pageant.
The production crew for the evening included:
+ Stage Manager – Crystal Fast.
+ Set Painter – Andrea Brinkman.
+ Sound – Danielle Duerksen and Fletcher Hanson.
+ Lights – Dawn Geertsema and Kiana Peters.
+ Stage Crew – Ethan Nickel, Sam Grev, Jon Faber, Ryan Blomgren and Tommy Kraemer.
+ Ushers – Marta Stoesz, Madison Schroeder, Jaelin Renquist and Margo Stoesz.
+ Tabulators – David Savage and Marie Savage.
IN THE 2016 Miss – and Little Miss – Mountain Lake pageant, the participants for each title celebrated the evening’s salute to Broadway by entering the stage to the song “Memory,” from the long-running musical, Cats. Front, from left, Audrina Bennett, Ashlyn Pfeiffer, Reagan Christians, Khloe Saelee, Kassandra Tellez, Brook Sunderman, Lily Youngwirth, Julia Brinkman, Aleena Vetsouvanh and Kelby Janzen. Back, from left, Kalley Rempel, Jaden Hoek, Rebekah Klassen, Danica Dick, Liana Blomgren, Emily Jahnke, Meredith Suess, Karen Soutthivong, Katherine Hofmann and Lexia Peters.
FOR THE DANCE competition portion of the pageant, the Miss Mountain Lake candidates performed to “You Can’t Stop the Beat!,” from the Broadway musical Hairspray. From left, Kalley Rempel, Rebekah Klassen, Danica Dick, Liana Blomgren, Brook Sunderman and Lexia Peters – on one side of the stage.
AND, ACROSS THE stage, were, from left, Karen Soutthivong, Emily Jahnke, Meredith Suess, Kassandra Tellez, Jaden Hoek and Katherine Hofmann.
DOING THEIR BEST Little Orphan Annie impersonations on the song, “It’s A Hard Knock Life” from the musical, Annie, were the Little Miss Mountain Lake participants. Front, from left, Lily Youngwirth, Khloe Saelee, Reagan Christians and Aleena Vetsouvanh. Back, from left, Ashlyn Pfeiffer, Kelby Janzen, Julia Brinkman and Audrina Bennett.
NAMED BY THE three judges as the Talent Winner was Danica Dick. Danica performed an original vocal and piano solo, “Beautiful.”
KHLOE SAELEE, FRONT, appears cool, calm and collected as she receives her Little Miss crown from the outgoing 2015 Little Miss, Thaila Sengchan, back.
IN THEIR FINAL area of judging, the 12 Miss Mountain Lake contestants completed a Poise and Appearance performance to “The Music of the Night” from the musical Phantom of the Opera. From left, Rebekah Klassen, Liana Blomgren, Lexia Peters, Emily Jahnke, Kassandra Tellez, Katherine Hofmann, Jaden Hoek, Meredith Suess, Karen Soutthivong, Brook Sunderman, Danica Dick and Kalley Rempel.
LEXIA PETERS, FRONT, expressed a strong facial reaction of surprise as she was crowned 2016 Miss Mountain Lake Second Runner-Up by the retiring 2015 Second Runner-Up Melissa Lohrenz, back.
THE 2016 MISS Mountain Lake First Runner-Up Emily Jahnke, front, shared an equal expression of astonishment as the crown was placed on her head by last year’s First Runner-Up Michaela Cate, back.
TEARS CAME TO the eyes of Danica Dick, front, as she first realized – along with all the others in the auditorium – that she will be the reigning 2016 Miss Mountain Lake. Doing the crowning honors was 2015 Miss Mountain Lake Carmen Syverson, back.
AT THE NEW YORK CITY intersection of Broadway, 42nd Street and Times Square pose this year’s 2016 Royal Court. Bookending Little Miss Mountain Lake Khloe Saelee, second from left, and Miss Mountain Lake Danica Dick, second from right, are First Runner-Up Emily Jahnke, left and Second Runner-Up Lexia Peters, right.
CRAIG FABER, LEFT, along with his wife, Deb Faber, right, served as Host and Hostess for the pageant.
