Iowa Sweetheart

Wow, what can I say about the National Sweetheart Pageant in Hoopeston, IL?! It was INCREDIBLE! I loved every minute of it! This was the opportunity of a lifetime and such an incredible learning experience. I went to the National Sweetheart with two goals in mind: to represent Iowa to the best of my abilities and to learn what I can improve on for the future. With 42 other amazing contestants, a great community, and unbelievably-giving volunteers, I learned a great deal about my talents, voice and platform. Thank you to the Miss Iowa Scholarship Program, Miss Muscatine Scholarship Program, Miss Iowa Aly Olson, Le Chic Prom and Pageant and to my family and friends for your love and support as I proudly wore the Miss Iowa Sweetheart banner!

A little history about the National Sweetheart Pageant...

"As is common to most festivals, a pageant was held to name a local girl, chosen by popular vote of the persons in attendance, to reign over the celebration. In 1939, local judges were responsible for selection of the Sweetcorn Queen. 

In 1940, the canning and canning-related industries of Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Iowa, and Wisconsin were persuaded to send a contestant to Hoopeston to vie for the title. Since the festival and pageant now had persons in attendance from several states, the name "Hoopeston Sweetcorn Festival" was changed in 1941 to the "National Sweetcorn Festival" and "Miss Sweetcorn" became "National Sweetheart".  

         The Junior Chamber of Commerce assumed the sponsorship of the festival and pageant following World War II and has continued to the present. They followed the same format until 1952, when the Jaycees invited the 1st runners-up from their respective states' Miss America pageants. At the same time, judges from the Miss America circuit were invited to judge the pageant. The idea was to bring national recognition to the pageant, as well as provide a training pageant for girls who may wish to reenter their states' Miss America competition in future years. The same traditions and goals remain a vital part of the National Sweetheart Pageant today. 

Nine contestants from the National Sweetheart Pageant have gone on to become Miss America and four of the current 2015 Miss America contestants have been State Sweethearts. 

The judges for this event are from the Miss America System and the girls compete in private interview, swimsuit, evening gown, on-stage question and talent. The National Sweetheart Pageant takes place the week leading up to Labor Day each year."[National Sweetheart website]

2014 National Sweetheart Contestants with Miss Hoopeston

After arriving on Monday, our busy week began with visiting local industries, touring the Webber family farm to learn about the agriculture industry, shopping the quaint shops of Hoopeston, visiting nursing homes, enjoying the Sweetcorn Festival carnival, completing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with the help of the Hoopeston Fire Department, being guests of honor at the Wellington Lion's Club Ice Cream & BBQ Social, and enjoying potlucks and meals served by the Hoopeston Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Lion's Club, Silgan Canning, Women Making a Difference, Jaycees, Hoopeston Jr. Women's Club, Auxilliary Post 384 plus McDonald's, Subway, the Pump Bar and Grill, Autumn Fields and Mr. B's Cafe with daily stage rehearsals. I was so proud to share this amazing small-town Midwestern hospitality with Sweethearts from all over the country.

Driving my first tractor!

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

It was a special time to reunite with my Miss MN 2013 pageant sister, Rachel Latuff! 

What a great way to celebrate my 23rd birthday in the middle of Sweetheart Pageant week!  They stopped rehearsal to sing "Happy Birthday" to me and helped inhale 8 dozen cookies from the Cafe Delight local bakery.

My Birthday Selfie!

I  rode in the yellow car of my dreams for the annual Sweetcorn Festival parade!  Each contestant dressed in a costume representing her state and decorated her shoes, like the MAO "Show Us Your Shoes Parade" in Atlantic City. I bedazzled my Miss Iowa Opening Number black jumpsuit and heels with the Iowa Hawkeyes theme, sat on my Iowa fleece blanket and proudly waved a Hawkeye flag. Go Hawks!

Though I did not make it through to the Top 16, several of us created an experience backstage that was very special. The Paper Plate Awards! During our backstage pizza and doughnut party, I helped the impromptu Paper Plate Committee come up with a special award for each of the remaining 27 Sweethearts and we held our own Awards Ceremony, hosted by the incredible Massachusetts Sweetheart, Charlena Kennedy!  Everyone at National Sweetheart received an award this year! 

My PP Award: Most likely to make history!

Our Hostess and fellow teacher: Brenna

That week would not have been possible without some key Sweetheart volunteers. First, thank you to my host family, Brenna and Justin Schroeder. You opened your home to us and allowed some fun, crazy times during the week. :)
Thank you for letting this Hawkeye girl enter your Illini territory!
To my beautiful, sweet Southern Girl, Miss Mississippi Sweetheart, Laura Lee Lewis!  Laura Lee, I am so grateful to have met you and to become Forever Friends! We were perfectly matched! Never forget..."You can't touch this... Duh, da da da!"

(Hoopeston does not have a hotel, or even one within a 20 mile radius, so Sweetheart contestants are hosted by local families.)

Other key players that made this week possible were the Sweetheart Volunteers. Chaperones, drivers, organizers, Pageant directors and sponsors were what really made this week so incredible. Everyday, you were there cheering us on and encouraging our passions and dreams. You are truly professionals at running a national-level pageant!

 

Mr. B's Cafe

And lastly, the City of Hoopseton embraced us as their own and treated us like Royalty!

Congratulations to Kalie Wright, our new National Sweetheart from Idaho! A beautiful woman, inside and out.

So, to the future Miss Iowa runners-up: If you get a call from the Miss Iowa Executive Director asking if you would like to be the next Iowa Sweetheart at the National Sweetheart Pageant, your answer should be "YES!" and make it happen! Thank you for that call, Leslie!

Enjoy a few more candids of my incredible week!

I love my Alabama Sweetheart!

The Midwest Sweethearts!

The 4 "I" Sweethearts at the Autograph Signing

Opening Number

Heading home after a great week!

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award: My Silver Adventurous Journey

On June 14, 2014, I was honored and humbled to receive the first-ever Duke of Edinburgh Young Americans' Challenge Bronze Award in the State of Iowa at the Miss Iowa Finals Competition.

I joined thousands of young people worldwide between the ages of 14 and 25 completing this journey. As a Duke of Edinburgh participant, I was encouraged to examine myself, my interests, abilities and ambitions, and to set my own challenges in four different tenants of the Award. These challenges required persistence and determination.  I am thrilled to have set the path for this award in Iowa and have continued to blaze the way forward as I complete my Silver Award journey and continue to promote the Duke of Edinburgh Program.

 "To experience the world through endless secondhand information isn't enough." - Travis Rice

From the DofE Handbook page 24: The aim of the Adventurous Journey is to encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery. As part of a small team, you should plan, train for and undertake a journey with a clearly-defined purpose in an unfamiliar environment. This will require determination, physical effort, perseverance and cooperation to complete. The Journey can be an exploration or expedition.

Journey with your eyes open.

I am proud to share my recent Silver Adventurous Journey to the Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, NV from August 15-19. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, NV is considered a mecca for rock-climbing in the U.S. 

While on this journey, I worked on my landscape and action photography skills, hiked every day with a 25 lbs. pack on my back, camped with minimal impact on nature and continued my rock-climbing experience, using the skills I learned from my Bronze Award Adventurous Journey while advancing my rock-climbing skills.

My Silver Adventurous Journey Team: an Industrial Engineer, a HS Math Teacher, a Computer Engineer and me!

Hiking through the foothills to get to the canyon walls 

Mid-August is not the ideal time to plan a rock-climbing trip in Nevada, but with my Team's work and school schedules to consider, it was necessary.  Fortunately, we missed the monsoon season by 5 days. We took additional precautions with the heat and weather, making sure we kept well-hydrated and planned our hiking and climbing for early in the morning and late afternoon/early evening hours to maximize the coolest part of the day, a mere 95 degrees. We climbed the East face in the shade since the rock was the coolest to the touch. The 3 p.m. temperature while we were in Nevada was typically 100-110 degrees, so this was when we rested.

Day One: 

This starting ledge is already 200 feet up and was only 5-6 feet wide.

I am planking a 300 ft. deep crevice at the summit. Unfortunately, I dropped a carabiner down this crevice.

Sam's turn to climb.

Sam enjoying the summit with some shade and water.

Owen's turn.

Tyler's turn.

Selfie at the Summit!

Perfecting my knot-tying skills, a climber's figure 8 knot!

 Day Two:

See my leg at the end of the rope?

Yes, that is me.

 Day Three:

Introducing hiking and beginning rock-climbing to my nephews on our last evening at Red Rock Canyon.

 

I did not forget to support CMN DB Blizzard day!

                                    

                                        Getting well-rested, hydrated  and cooled off before flying home.
Meet my nephews, Danny and Sam.

Flying home after a successful Adventurous Journey.


Two and a half months of planning and training.
Five days of travel with photography, hiking and rock-climbing.
Working with a budget of $400/person, includes round-trip airfare.
My Silver Adventurous Journey experience = Priceless.

Next stop: My Gold Duke of Edinburgh journey continues with a 19-day mission trip in India!