Good Evening Friends!
It is nice to be back to the message boards! Please note, since I have been MIA for a while, this post may be a bit lengthy. I will use my words wisely and try to make the best of your time!
Let me begin by saying that I have had the most ama
zing experience thus far, serving as Miss Coon Rapids. I have begun to get the city engrained in my mind, especially the restaurants and gas stations. It seems that I get to visit those two places quite often because I am usually running from one place to the next. I will try to showcase what I've been up to, especially this last weekend. So we will start on Friday. Early last week I received an e-mail inviting all contestants to a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network. I just happened to not have any plans that night so I volunteered to go. It was at the U of M and the fundraiser just happened to be a dance a thon. (Thought: I don't dance. Hmm...24 hour dance a thon could be 
quite interesting...). My mom was actually in the cities so she came with me to the fundraiser. I get there, expecting that Jen was going to be there as well so she could cover up my terrible dance moves. Well, she wasn't there yet but I just assumed she was coming. I go in and get myself settled and start visiting with some of the families that are there. Wow. What amazing people. I am SO proud to say that I had the opportunity to chat with them and be able to raise funds for CMN. They do such amazing work! As the night progresses I hear that Jen is not feeling well and is not going to make it. Awesome. Time to break out the dance moves. ... To my surprise, I didn't do too bad! We learned a few steps to a dance and then we competed in groups against each other. We also did the electric slide and the Macarena! Whew. After that workout, my mom and I headed out as we had a big day ahead of us for Saturday.
zing experience thus far, serving as Miss Coon Rapids. I have begun to get the city engrained in my mind, especially the restaurants and gas stations. It seems that I get to visit those two places quite often because I am usually running from one place to the next. I will try to showcase what I've been up to, especially this last weekend. So we will start on Friday. Early last week I received an e-mail inviting all contestants to a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network. I just happened to not have any plans that night so I volunteered to go. It was at the U of M and the fundraiser just happened to be a dance a thon. (Thought: I don't dance. Hmm...24 hour dance a thon could be 
quite interesting...). My mom was actually in the cities so she came with me to the fundraiser. I get there, expecting that Jen was going to be there as well so she could cover up my terrible dance moves. Well, she wasn't there yet but I just assumed she was coming. I go in and get myself settled and start visiting with some of the families that are there. Wow. What amazing people. I am SO proud to say that I had the opportunity to chat with them and be able to raise funds for CMN. They do such amazing work! As the night progresses I hear that Jen is not feeling well and is not going to make it. Awesome. Time to break out the dance moves. ... To my surprise, I didn't do too bad! We learned a few steps to a dance and then we competed in groups against each other. We also did the electric slide and the Macarena! Whew. After that workout, my mom and I headed out as we had a big day ahead of us for Saturday. After a quick stop for cheesecake at the Cheesecake factory (as a stunned look crosses your mind becau
se I am eating cheescake and preparing for Miss MN at one time...), we made it back to my place. Then on to Saturday. Saturday brought us all sorts of adventures. We made the trip to Coon Rapids and started setting up. Saturday was our fundraiser for CMN and we held a PRINCESS PARTY for girls in the Coon Rapids area. We had an amazing turnout and a ton of fun as well! All the girls came dressed as their favorite princess and some moms came dressed for the show as well! From there, they participated in activities ranging from making their own crowns to a treasure hunt to pin the crown on Stacy!! Each girl left that day with a polaroid picture of her and myself. I crowned each girl if they didn't already have a crown and then wrapped them in a luxurious feather boa. I must send a thank you out to my Mother. She was wonderful to help me through this event and I couldn't have done it without her! She made crown cut out cookies for the girls and we also had juice boxes for snacks. It was a great day!
se I am eating cheescake and preparing for Miss MN at one time...), we made it back to my place. Then on to Saturday. Saturday brought us all sorts of adventures. We made the trip to Coon Rapids and started setting up. Saturday was our fundraiser for CMN and we held a PRINCESS PARTY for girls in the Coon Rapids area. We had an amazing turnout and a ton of fun as well! All the girls came dressed as their favorite princess and some moms came dressed for the show as well! From there, they participated in activities ranging from making their own crowns to a treasure hunt to pin the crown on Stacy!! Each girl left that day with a polaroid picture of her and myself. I crowned each girl if they didn't already have a crown and then wrapped them in a luxurious feather boa. I must send a thank you out to my Mother. She was wonderful to help me through this event and I couldn't have done it without her! She made crown cut out cookies for the girls and we also had juice boxes for snacks. It was a great day! Then on Sunday I joined the junior royalty of Coon Rapids to help pass out awards to dancers from Dancin' Feet Dance School out of Anoka. This Dance School set up a charity event for the Alexandra House. This charity is devoted to ending domestic violence among women, families, and communities. The dancers put on a charity show and the royalty had the opportunity to hand out the awards. We had a great time, especially with Rocky the Raccoon in attendance as well!
To finish off my post I will leave you with the most current event. On Tuesday, I was officially named a Good Will Ambassador for the city of Coon Rapids. I with I could tell you how much this meant to me. The people of Coon Rapids have been so welcoming to me. Words cannot even explain it. I love being in the city, visiting, and exploring new sites. For this visit, I officially got to meet the City Council and Mayor, Tim Howe. Mayor Howe made the official proclamation during the beginning of the City Council meeting, followed by a declaration for the junior royalty as well. This event was very symbolic for me and I was very proud and honored to be named into this position.I want to close with a quote I found. Throughout this entire journey, there have been many people supporting me along the way. First of all, I owe almost all of my growth to my director Diane Buszta. What an amazing woman. Her heart and soul for this organization is unbelievable. I also need to thank Roberta Ziegler for also helping me along the way; making me laugh and giving me confidence. Finally, I need to thank my family, but most importantly my mother. She helped me so much this past weekend and throughout my entire life. Thank you Mom.
"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my Mother."-- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Stacy E. Mandelkow
Miss Coon Rapids 2008
Miss Coon Rapids 2008
