Beauty and style

Four candidates were crowned at the Waseca Sleigh and Cutter Pageant at the Waseca Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Jan. 28.

New 2023 royalty are, Miss Waseca Sleigh and Cutter 2023, Bailie Thom; Miss South Central 2023, Jasmin Kotek; Miss Waseca County Sleigh and Cutter’s Outstanding Teen 2023, Kloe Wadd; and Miss South Central’s Outstanding Teen, Maura Erickson.

There were two additional titles for Miss Congeniality, one for all teen candidates, another for all the Waseca Sleigh and Cutter and South Central candidates. Wadd was voted Miss Congeniality out of all the teens while Alexis Cran was chosen out of the Sleigh and Cutter South Central candidates.

There were fourteen candidates vying for four crowns: four for Miss Waseca Sleigh and Cutter, four more for Miss South Central, and six teens competing for two Outstanding Teen crowns.

Miss Waseca Sleigh and Cutter Bailie Thom competed against Caylie Blowers, Amanda Schmidt, and Jadyn White while Miss South Central Jasmin Kotek competed against Kayla Mabe, Alexis Cran, and Lydia Jagodzinski. The teen candidates were Maura Erickson, Kloe Wadd, Bailey Hodgkins, Paige Johnson, Hudson Miller, and Olivia Johnson.

Many royalty members from around the state took part in the Sleigh and Cutter pageant. Miss Minnesota 2021 Elle Mark sang the national anthem and helped emcee the event. Other participating guests were Miss Minnesota 2022 Rachel Evangelisto, Miss Minnesota Outstanding Teen 2022 Julia Schumacher, and Miss South Dakota’s Outstanding Teen 2022 Olivia Odenbrett. Schumacher and Odenbrett were once Waseca County princesses.

The pageant itself was nearly three hours long and was packed with entertainment. After the opening number and the introduction, judges and auditors were announced. Judges were Randy Zimmerman, Molly Byron, Dan Kuphal, Ashley Arett, and Rochelle Odenbrett. Amanda Huber and Chantel Medina were this year’s auditors.

The teens started the night with a lifestyle and fitness section. Following that was an on-stage interview and social impact statement. Social statements ranged from making a commitment to help Minnesota high school students improve their mental health at school to creating mentorship programs for younger kids.

The teen candidates followed with their talent. Maura Erickson and Olivia Johnson showed off their dancing skills while Paige Johnson performed the Star-Spangled Banner on the clarinet and Bailey Hodgkins playing a minuet on the flute. Kloe Wadd performed a monologue with Hudson Miller doing sign language to an Elvis Presley song.

After Miss South Dakota Outstanding Teen Olivia Odenbrett sang “Weight of My Love” by Lewis Capaldi, it was the Miss candidates’ turn to show off their talents. They were as unique as the teens, with Amanda Schmidt and Bailie Thom performing a color guard routine, Caylie Blowers playing the piano, Jasmin Kotek performing a dance, Kayla Mabe and Lydia Jagodzinski singing, Alexis Cran playing the viola, and Jadyn White giving a presentation on the different types of cows.

Miss Minnesota 2022 Rachel Evangelisto and the 2022 Waseca County Princesses then gave a self-defense presentation, followed by Evangelisto demonstrating her talent which she claimed was “commonly mistaken for a dance.”

After a brief intermission, the visiting royalty was asked to gather on stage. Eleven Waseca County Princesses were then crowned. Miss Minnesota Outstanding Teen Julia Schumacher followed that up with a dance routine which helped her win the award.

The last events of the night were the teens wearing an evening gown and answering a random question from a judge with the 2023 candidates getting a “red carpet” to show off their gowns. The coronation capped off the night.

Along with being crowned, each royalty member received a package which included a scholarship, a week at Miss Minnesota (Outstanding Teen for the teens), a Dale Carnegie Training Package, a photo package from Makayla Rae Photography, hair and makeup from Cassie’s Classic Cuts, the sash and crown with a crown box and crown pin, a 15 percent discount for an evening gown at the Pageant Shop, a “Team Waseca” jacket, and flowers. Scholarships for the Miss candidates were $1,000 while the teen candidates earned a $500 scholarship.

Special thanks were given to Cyd Mark and Katherine Majkrzak for ticket sales, Molly Kopischke for the pageant night photos, and Chuck and Anna Pollock for being the sound and light crew for the event.