Sunday in the Park

You're singing the classic rock hit by Chicago right now, aren't you? I knew it.  That's what today felt like.  All the makings of a classic hit.  It was a perfect day in more ways than one:

Minnesota summers cannot be beat, the tastiest of gluten-free banana-nut waffles, and strolling around parks marveling at the outstanding beauty of God's creation.  And all this shared with one of my sweet sisters?!  All that would've made it better is if I had both sisters here. Next time, Jen!

As if French Meadow didn't serve up the greatest of dishes, add to it the perfect outdoor seating.  As it is necessary to soak this beautiful weather up in Minnesota...this will always be one of my number one ways of doing so: patio seating.  Hurrah.

Hi, my name is Alissa and I love mushrooms.  My family can attest to as much and I was delighted to find the perfect mushy clinging to a log.

Lake life and parks are a must in Minnesota and therefore the Bird Sanctuary next to the beautiful Rose Garden and Lake Harriet is a winning combination. It is great to go for a quick nature walk right in the middle of the city! Then take a spin through the Tranquil Peace Garden...

A neat sculpture in the middle of the garden had every stage of how to fold an origami paper crane.

Until the next lush adventure,

Cheers,

Alissa

A Day in the Life...

If you have been to the Macy's 8th floor Holiday exhibit downtown Minneapolis, you have vicariously lived through a "Day in the Life of an Elf."  Well, here is my edition....

We'll call it a Day in the Life of Visual Merchandising.  This certainly isn't a comprehensive lesson, but a mere glimpse.

We are in the heat wave of summer, so that obviously means school is just around the corner! With school comes all those wonderful styles of fall.  Therefore, scuba gear is out and books and pencils are in...at least in our world.

But not before trying on the googly-eye goggles.

With the ever-changing promotions, we are greeted with scraping sticky letters from the windows at 5 in the morning.  Early bird catches the worm, as they say, and these to-do lists are never ending!

Putting my art minor to good use with some arts and crafts.

Some snaps from spring windows.  It was out with the colorful old and in with the deep sea creatures.  Every day is new and brings with it a new adventure!  I guess you could call us elves, working endlessly when no one can see to bring little delights to all :)

And we too have diets of sugar, sugar, sugar....at least, today we did! We had a mason jar full of skittles and polished them off before our lunch hour at 10 am. It's a quirky schedule to say the least.

Cheers,

Alissa

Best Days of Summer: Friday/Saturday

Here's a little throwback for y'all.

Friday night.  A night reserved for sleepovers and high school football and being crowned Queen of the Lakes.  What a trip!

In 2010, I heard "...the legacy will be carried on through..........Miss Svenskarnas Dag" and there is little I remember after that.  Yes, this looks like your typical beauty queen shot. 

But let me tell you, that year was anything but! As these girls are judged on scholastic endeavors, volunteerism, poise, presentation, and community involvement (notice nothing about talent!), this ever-so unique opportunity is more of an internship representing Minneapolis.  At the end of the year, the ambassadors are given a scholarship to continue in their education...a scholarship I am to blessed to have received!  But, what I learned from that year, I received so much more than a scholarship.

I attended about 150 appearances, around 300 between the whole ambassador family, over the course of one year.  Yeah, you can do the math.  By juggling school, work, my sorority, family, and a life....it was a busy year. Between scurrying from one community in Minnesota to the next, to on air interviews with television and radio channels, to interstate travel representing Minneapolis in California, Georgia, Texas, Wisconsin, Manitoba, and even St. Paul....it was a busy year.  But what a great year!!

On the night of the coronation, here is Miss Svenskarnas Dag giving her short "welcome" speech about her and her educational goals.  Fun to hear the variety of what these gals want to do "when they grow up"!

I was bad and stole a snap during the coronation of all the Visiting Dignitaries...when we visit other festivals such as the Tournament of Roses in California or the St. Paul Winter Carnival, we are considered V-Digs and in turn, invite them back to celebrate with us at our festival. It's a fun cycle. So much for turning our phones off. Oops!

And the 2014 ambassadors are announced! The new Queen of the Lakes is from Annandale and the Princesses are from Clara City and Waconia.  This was Waconia's first time ever having a royal ambassador with their city celebration, therefore their first time sending a candidate to the Minneapolis Aquatennial! I'd say it's been a good year for them!

It is so fun to see the happy tears faces of these young ladies...knowing somewhat of what their year will be like, I wish all the best to them and cannot wait to see how they develop over the next 12 months.

The new Queen of the Lakes, Riley Bruns.

After the eventful coronation, a few of us headed to Republic for a late night hamburger.  YUM.  It was a perfect way to end the evening.

On Saturday night, the BEST fireworks are presented by Target near the Stone Arch Bridge.  When I say best, I am not exaggerating.  I believe they have been rated top 5 or something for the nation! This is a firework show you do not want to miss.

After fireworks, it was back to the hospitality room to have some more laughs with the V-Digs and Aqua friends.  After a long but wonderful week, it is nice to relax and enjoy the evening with friends. Abby (Princess in 2009) and I spotted an old snapshot in the hotel from canoe races during the "old days" of Aquatennial.  This festival history is so woven into the history of this city it is difficult to distinguish the two.

Last year, after the coronation, my mom and I went to Republic to prepare a special treat for the newly-crowned gals!

I sneaked into their room at left a gift bag and some goodies for the Queen and Princesses to find when they were taken back to their new room. As the Past Queen President, you have the clearance to sneak things into the new ambassadors' room so I figured I would take then chance when I could. :)

 

Hope you will join us next year for the BEST Days of Summer as we celebrate our 75th anniversary!! It will be a festival you will not want to miss. Until then,

Cheers, 

Alissa

Best Days of Summer: Thursday

Thursday for the candidates is a day welcomed with open arms.  The decision for the ambassadors has been made by the judges and they finally have a chance to relax and soak up the sunshine on boats on Lake Minnetonka!

Thursday for the past ambassadors is welcomed with open arms too! The Admirals and Queens Luncheon is today and a wonderful chance to soak in the beautiful history this festival boasts of as we celebrate 74 years. This year, our lunch was held at the Women's Club of Minneapolis.  It was a lovely backdrop to the many familiar faces gracing the halls.

This cute lady was Queen of the Lakes in 1941! Eva Brunson Steiner still actively participates in the Aquatennial events and has some wonderful memories of her time representing Minneapolis. She was the second Queen of the Lakes after the festival began in 1940 to bring Minneapolitans, and visitors alike, together during a time of war (WWII). 

Mary Niemeyer, Grand Admiral (and Commodore in 2008) drew a contrast of "what the world was like" was between Eva and me--as we served Minneapolis in the same role 70 years apart! It was neat to hear what has changed in that time, and yet to see what has remained the same as we still take part in celebrating this beautiful city during the best days of summer!!

Eva stood and said a few words...and at 91 she is a spunky lady! Still lives on her own and even does her own taxes.  I would say she is a great representative of the amazing ladies that have come out of this scholarship program.

After handing my phone off to a willing, but unsteady hand, I got a cute snap of Commodore Jim Patterson, Alex (Forster) Lindstrom, and myself at the luncheon.  We had the great pleasure of BOTH serving with Jim.  Normally, each Queen has her "own" Commodore that travels and makes appearances throughout the year, but as fate would have it, Alex and I lucked out with getting to share this great guy! What a trooper to stick with it for so many months; but, it was an added joy of being selected to get to know Jim and his wife, Landi.

Later that evening, the Commodore's Party is a great excuse for a new cocktail dress! I brought a dear friend, Tracie, as my date for the evening.  Often, the party will be held at the current Commodore's residence...but with over a hundred feet trampling the fresh grass, Commodore Dave Recker hosted it at Target Field.

It is a great time to speak with some of the candidates about their experience from the week. As the mingling and laughter outlast the rays of the setting sun, hushed whispers between some past ambassadors make predictions about the outcomes for tomorrow evening! We cannot wait to find out who will carry on the legacy for the next year.

The Twins and another team were practicing on the field that evening as we all were clamoring to catch a glimpse of lucky number seven! Oo La La

 

Thanks for reading along and stay tuned to see who will be the 2014 Queen of the Lakes and Princesses!

Cheers,

Alissa

Best Days of Summer: Wednesday

This has to be one of my favorite days of Aquatennial! It is a full day but a day well spent.

Around the lunch hour, the candidates present a short speech for friends, family, and anyone walking by in City Center downtown.  At this "Meet the Candidates" event, each girl is required to dress up and give a 30-60 second commercial-type speech to the audience presenting a their unique view of their community.  Some speak about a favorite activity to do, what their municipality is known for, honoring the volunteers, or history of their community. 

In 2010, I dressed as a cooky Pippi Longstocking and spoke about how the community of Svenskarnas Dag is not defined through city limits but woven together through the rich history we share with one another.  It was a tricky speech to come up with as Svenskarnas Dag is the only community festival that participates in the Minneapolis Aquatennial that is not a location in Minnesota....just a bunch of fun Swedes! :)

Our candidate from Svenskarnas Dag did a wonderful job this year! It is difficult to present in front of a large crowd of people you know and DON'T know...

The creativity in the costumes are the best! The candidate from Hutchinson was dressed as a tooth because she has a goal of working in oral health.

I believe this was the candidate from Paynesville.  The only other Paynesville ambassador to participate went on to become the 2006 Queen of the Lakes. It had been 8 years since they had participated in this scholarship program!

With so many communities that return each year, it is amazing to see how each girl reinterprets her community to come up with a new presentation...equally impressive to see girls from communities that have never participated come up with something creative and original!

A quick snap with the girls from Hutchinson and Fridley.  Gina and Alyssa, the princesses that served as ambassadors with me, were from these communities and I'll always have a special place in my heart for Hutch and Frid!

After the eventful afternoon, we have to quickly change for the Lifetime Torchlight 5K.  Some years the race has been postponed because of the sweltering heat...participating this year with my expecting sister, we will have to take it slow and keep up on fluids!

What better way than a quick Pinkberry cucumber smoothie?! YUM.

The crowd was impressive! It was a beautiful night and I think there is no better way to take in the sights of downtown Minneapolis.  The flames reached into the sky and we were off!!

The streets are lined with eager parade-goers ready to cheer you on to victory, and at the perfect time of dusk, the skyscrapers are kissed by the golden glow of the summer sun. Quite picturesque!

Some of the folks walked, some ran, some hobbled....Emily penguin walked with baby bump in tow.

As we were passing Mill City Ruins, there was an opera being performed and was a beautiful soundtrack to the huffing and puffing! I ALMOST caught the aria on video....but we had a race to finish!

As soon as we caught a glimpse of the Stone Arch Bridge, we knew we are almost to that 3.1 mile mark! The stretch of the race seemed longer when taking it stride-by-stride...I guess that's why people run. :)

This race is like a sightseeing tour of downtown! All the best spots of Minneapolis right on the running path...

As soon as we arrived at St. Anthony Main, it was high time to get back to the parade to watch the Centerpoint Energy Torchlight Parade! It is like the Target Holidazzle of the summer.  Floats are adorned with lights to take on the coolest night in July...well, maybe not the coolest temp-wise!

As we had walked the race, we were running late on time and decided to rent a NiceRide bike.  Here comes our workout #2 for the evening! We made it back downtown in record time and just needed to find a bike return that we could access with the crowds of people.  Finally, we were ready to sit back and enjoy the show.  It is a fabulous parade and a great day to enjoy everything about Minneapolis in the summer.

 

Last year, Emily and I did the Torchlight race with Gina and we made matching race shirts. It has now become somewhat of a tradition to run the 5K before the parade...if you are going to be sweating in the July heat, you may as well be trying, right?

Cheers,

Alissa

Just around the corner

Whoa, folks.  After months of planning, the Best Days of Summer are nearly here!! The Board and Aqua volunteers had a quick meeting in Loring Park and the perfect view made us feel on top of the world.  The fun and hectic week is near and we loved the chance to catch up and discuss the future of this great festival before being swept away with the event-filled week.

Cupcakes to celebrate the last board meeting? Aye-aye, captain! Nautical never gets old...

As the Best Days of Summer approach, I thought I would take a quick trip down memory lane with you...

It was just 3 years ago my summer took a wonderful turn and I began one of the greatest journeys!  Representing Minneapolis across Minnesota and the US in over 150 appearances was a whirlwind but I wouldn't trade the ups and downs for the world!

Although it looks like a fairytale, the year was filled with hard work, endless events, and balancing many commitments.  I learned so much about presentation, relating to a myriad communities, volunteerism, and myself. Dedicating so much of my time to this experience, meant not taking on internships and extra summer jobs but this provided such a unique take-away that no internship could have provided.  

Here's to the memories, friendships, lessons-learned, and endless opportunities this amazing festival and city has offered.  I cannot wait to see the story unfold for the next three lucky gals and am blessed to have carried on the tradition!

Cheers,

Alissa