A few weeks ago was the Miss Minnesota 2012 Pageant. The whole week flew by and so have the weeks since. I had such a wonderful experience and would love to share the highlights with everyone.
Sunday, June 10th was move in day. My parents and some of my Miss Coon Rapids Committee came out help me move into my hotel room. My roommate was Katie Huot, Miss Morris. I made my space homey since I would be living there for a week; everything had a home and was hung up nicely. Once we were all moved in we freshened up and headed to the first ever Prelude to the Crown cocktail party. This was such a classy event and really started off our week in a positive way. They decorated the room with dresses and crowns of the past Miss Minnesota’s (talk about motivation). After the party we had tours of Waterpark of America and Mall of America. There was some extra time at the end of the tours so they let us go on one of the biggest rollercoasters at Nickelodeon Universe in our crowns! We ended our amazing first day by having pizza during our meetings in our chaperone’s rooms.
Sunday, June 10th was move in day. My parents and some of my Miss Coon Rapids Committee came out help me move into my hotel room. My roommate was Katie Huot, Miss Morris. I made my space homey since I would be living there for a week; everything had a home and was hung up nicely. Once we were all moved in we freshened up and headed to the first ever Prelude to the Crown cocktail party. This was such a classy event and really started off our week in a positive way. They decorated the room with dresses and crowns of the past Miss Minnesota’s (talk about motivation). After the party we had tours of Waterpark of America and Mall of America. There was some extra time at the end of the tours so they let us go on one of the biggest rollercoasters at Nickelodeon Universe in our crowns! We ended our amazing first day by having pizza during our meetings in our chaperone’s rooms.
Monday, June 11th we spent our day at Gillette Children’s Hospital. When we arrived they divided us into two groups and we took turns going on the tour and making cookies with the patients. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces amongst the patients and volunteers (even if they didn’t recognize me right away with my crown on). We had lunch at Gillette and this was when we really had the opportunity to get to know each other. Our evening was filled with rehearsals and preparations for the Miss Minnesota Pageant.
Tuesday, June 12th we started our day off at IHOP for breakfast. After eating a wonderful meal we went back to the hotel for rehearsal. We had rehearsals all day and then we went back to our rooms to get ready for a night of fun. In our matching Miss Minnesota t-shirts, yoga pants, and visors we were off to Skydeck and Nickelodeon Universe. I spend the evening bowling, playing some arcade games, and going on as many roller coasters as possible. This was honestly one of the most fun nights ever! It was great to just have this night of fun that was completely carefree.
Wednesday, June 13th was our day full of eating the most delicious food imaginable. For breakfast we ate at The Original Pancake House where I order scrumptious chocolate chip chocolate pancakes. After, we moved all of our competition clothing to the theatre and had rehearsals all day on the stage. Then we all freshened up and went to Buca Di Bepo for some amazing Italian. This was one of the most fun meals we had. Everyone was laughing and seemed to be having a blast while bonding with each other.
Thursday, June 14th was the first official day of the pageant. I had my interview in the morning and talent rehearsal in the afternoon. Once the preliminary pageant started we all participated in the opening number and then I competed in swim suit and evening gown. I am humbled and honored to have been awarded the Preliminary Swim Suit Award. I take physical activity very seriously so this award means a lot to me.
Friday, June 15thwe spent our morning on a press tour. We took group pictures at the capital and at Como Park. After taking many great sponsor photos we went to Open Arms and learned all about the good this company creates in our community. Open Arms delivers meals to people and families who are suffering from a disease and who may need help getting that nutrition. They make specific meals to accommodate many different diets. After a tour and meeting with this amazing organization we were off to Mall of America for a magnificent lunch catered by Crave! (YUM!) Then it was time to get to the theatre for night two of the Miss Minnesota Pageant. This evening of the pageant I performed my talent and had onstage question.
Saturday, June 16th was the last night of Miss Minnesota week. In the morning was the farewell brunch. My family and Miss Coon Rapids Committee attended the brunch with me and it was great to spend some time with them after such a busy week. After brunch we moved all of our things out of the hotel and we were off to the theatre to practice for that evening’s pageant. I placed second runner up for the third year in a row and although I am very happy with how I performed I will be honest and say it is very hard to place the exact same for three years in a row. My mom likes to say that I am consistent.
I cannot say enough how much fun Miss Minnesota week was. It was such great group of girls and we all honestly got along amazingly well with one another! I enjoyed every moment of bonding and laughing with all of those women! On top of getting to know all of the 21 other contestants I also cherished the time I had getting to know our Miss Minnesota 2011, Natalie Davis. I have known Natalie for a while now but never really got to know her as a person and I really enjoyed learning more about her over our week together.
Since Miss Minnesota I have been teaching summer school and spending a lot of time with my family. I cannot believe how quickly time passes; the month of June went by way too quickly but I made many memories that I will cherish always. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along my journey as Miss Coon Rapids, your help and support means more to me than I will ever be able to put into words.
A HUGE special thank you to everyone who made Miss Minnesota week such a success! From the new directors to the amazing connections at Mall of America to our wonderful chaperones, you all made this week possible and truly made us all feel like celebrities.
Until next time,
Samantha Phillippi
Since Miss Minnesota I have been teaching summer school and spending a lot of time with my family. I cannot believe how quickly time passes; the month of June went by way too quickly but I made many memories that I will cherish always. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along my journey as Miss Coon Rapids, your help and support means more to me than I will ever be able to put into words.
A HUGE special thank you to everyone who made Miss Minnesota week such a success! From the new directors to the amazing connections at Mall of America to our wonderful chaperones, you all made this week possible and truly made us all feel like celebrities.
Until next time,
Samantha Phillippi