Farewell

Growing up, we all have dreams and goals that we someday hope to accomplish.  Some people dream of being a veterinarian, others a writer, some even dream of being famous.  One year ago I stood on this stage and experienced one of my dreams come true. 

My amazing year-long journey was full of so many wonderful memories and life experiences.  Every accomplishment was possible thanks to the outstanding support and love of those I hold most dear.

 My fantastic committee, how would I have survived without you?  Always thinking of what’s best for me and organizing so many events and appearances to enrich my life.  This year simply wouldn’t have been possible without the constant support from the Bunkowske family.

My family and close friends, thank you for supporting me with whatever dream I try to pursue. You are my greatest cheerleaders.  Dad, thank you for cutting all my music and providing any technical needs, you are so brilliant!  Mom, thank you for being so driven to make me feel the best and for taking all my pageant photos, you are a very talented photographer!  Mel and Ben, you are the most unique brother and sister a girl could ever ask for, I love you both so much!

Travis, you mean the world to me.  You keep me level-headed and I have never felt more loved or supported.

Paige, Miss Red River Valley Outstanding Teen, you have been a true inspiration.  You are a remarkable young woman and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for you.  I enjoyed spending the year with you. 

My “little sister” Ashley (through the Big Brother’s Big Sisters Organization), you have helped me see life in a different way.  The growth I have seen within you and myself over the past two years is what fueled my desire to make this organization my platform.  Our relationship has blossomed and I cannot wait to see what the future hold for us.

Stacie McBride-Cox, you are such an inspirational woman.  You have helped me grow in ways that you may not realize.

Kathryn Knuttila, I have one word to describe you, WOW! I hold our friendship very close to my heart and can’t wait to cheer you on at Miss America.  I look up to you in so many ways.

To all of the girls competing for my job, I want to quote Ann Swanson when I say “remember that the judges tonight are not choosing a winner from a group of representatives.  They are choosing a representative from a group of winners.” So many opportunities and so many new doors have opened in my life thanks to the Miss Moorhead Organization and I end my year with nothing but gratitude.  I wish and pray for God’s continued blessings for this organization.

Although I am sad that this year is coming to an end, I am thrilled to forever be known as Bethany Beniek, your Miss Moorhead 2009.

Last Night as Miss Moorhead

As I sit in my hotel room with my sister queen Paige Meyer, It's bitter sweet to know that we will be giving up our titles tomorrow night!  We are having a girls night, practicing our intro number and eating lots of chocolate :-)

I have been so busy this past month, getting ready for my big Fundraiser on September 24th, working, and of course starting school.  If you haven't done so yet, check out my website about the fundraiser featuring TONIC SOL-FA, Johnnie Blend and Miss Minnesota!  All proceeds benefit the Children's Miracle Network http://cmnevent.beniek.biz/

I had my last Pizza Ranch Fundraiser on August 16th.  I brought candy for all the employees and I will miss seeing their friendly faces every month :-)

On August 28th, I was in the Barnesville Potato Days Parade.  I saw Miss Northwest, Melissa Paak, and we had some time to chat before the parade started.  Thank you to Ford Muscatell who donated an awesome truck for Paige and I to ride in :-)

On September 2nd I attended the Minnesota State Fair for the first time in my life! I went with Miss Minnesota, Kathryn Knuttila, and my Mom.  We were there from 7:30am to 11:00pm!  Plenty of time to eat as much state fair food as possible.  I had corn dogs, sliced apples with caramel and peanuts,  chocolate dipped bananas and strawberries, deep fried pickles, cookies, and of course a deep fried snickers bar! I definitely had my fair share of calories that day :-) I got to watch Kathryn be Miss Minnesota.  She did many radio appearances and got stopped many times throughout the day to give autographs and take pictures.  She also had an appearance on Twin Cities Live where I got to meet the host Elizabeth Ries.  I even got to dance with the "Go Groove" guy from that commercial :-)  That evening I had the opportunity to compete in the State Fair Talent Show where I sang the song "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.  It was so much fun to perform in front of such a large crowd.

Tomorrow I am waking up bright and early and meeting all of the girls competing for my job.  I can't wait to meet them and hang out with them all day :-)

I can't believe this time has already come.

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Last Night as Miss Moorhead

As I sit in my hotel room with my sister queen Paige Meyer, It's bitter sweet to know that we will be giving up our titles tomorrow night!  We are having a girls night, practicing our intro number and eating lots of chocolate :-)

I have been so busy this past month, getting ready for my big Fundraiser on September 24th, working, and of course starting school.

I had my last Pizza Ranch Fundraiser on August 16th.  I brought candy for all the employees and I will miss seeing their friendly faces every month :-)

 On August 28th, I was in the Barnesville

It's Not Over 'Till It's Over!

I have some great news! I competed at the Benton County Fair Talent Contest at the beginning of August and ended up WINNING!  I get to sing at the State Fair Talent Contest on September 2nd starting at 7:00pm, I hope to see you all there!

Last week I had the awesome opportunity of singing the National Anthem at the St. Cloud River Bats baseball game.  I got to meet the players before the game and sing the the National Anthem in front of over a thousand people.  They asked me to to come back and sing before their playoff game on August 18th.  I'm was excited.  I'll take any opportunity to perform!

I also attended the Miss Vergas and Princess Altona Pageant last week that my committee also organizes.  It was awesome!  I got to meet and greet with some of the newly crowned royalty and the pageant was a huge success!  The place was packed with supporters and the pageant was so entertaining.

This past weekend I attended one of my favorite appearances.  Gliks is a new store that has newly opened in Moorhead.  Savanna Snyder (Miss Moorhead 2008) is the manager of Gliks and asked me help promote the store during its opening weekend.  I got to wear their outfits all day and help out customers as they needed it.  I have never been to a Gliks store before and I was surprised when I saw some of the cutest clothing for the cheapest prices!  I would suggest getting to your closest Gliks store for your back to school shopping :-)

I cannot believe that my time as Miss Moorhead is almsot over.  I have been keeping myself very busy and I will enjoy every last moment as Miss Moorhead.

Always,
Bethany Beniek

A True Adventure!

I have been so busy!  I can't wait to tell you all about the last few weeks I have had.  On July 24th I attended the Miss Frazee and Miss Frazee Outstanding Teen Pageant.  Since it was another trip up North, Aja (Miss South Central) and Kaylah (Miss Capitol City) met me in St. Cloud and we all car pooled together up to Frazee.  It was an adventure!

As soon as Aja, Kaylah, and I were ready to go, Kaylah realized she had forgotten her bag with everything in it!  She had her crown, banner and a couple of outfits, but forgot her overnight bag with the essentials such as tooth brush, make-up, shoes ect... so as we were already running a bit late we had to make a quick stop to Target to pick up some shoes. We were also getting hungry so while we were in the mall we quickly purchased some "Extreme Pitas."  Aja was waiting in the car for us and didn't have her phone on so we couldn't ask her what she wanted to eat.  Kaylah and I improvised and went off of what we knew about Aja ;-)  "She's a vegetarian, OH and she likes spicy things!" I still laugh at the situation and Aja ended up loving her pita!  Finally, after getting some shoes and food we got back on the road and made it to the pageant right when the pageant started.  Perfect timing! We had to put our crown and sashes on in the car, but after Miss MN week were already pros at that.  The pageant was filled with talent.  Congratulations to the newly crowned Miss Frazee, Emily Kallis!

The next day I was in the Frazee Turkey Days parade.  It was a beautiful day! I got to ride in a red corvette with Kaylah.  We felt pretty cool.  Kathryn rode in a PT Cruiser convertible and somehow managed to drop her phone inside the vehicle.  When I say inside I don't mean on the seat, I mean in between the pieces of metal that holds the car together!  People from all over the neighborhood started to come and help all of us pageant queens try and fish out Kathryn's phone.  After about a half hour of sticking our arms in, using sticks and lots of tape, Kathryn retrieved her phone!  It was quite the adventure in Frazee.  We even got photos with the world's largest Turkey and the the world's largest Loon!

The next weekend I attended the Miss Heart of the Lakes and Miss Perham Pageant.  Congratulations to the newly crowned Miss Heart of the Lakes, Kalli Randall and the new Miss Perham, Brittany Bachmann!

After the pageant I headed up to Walker, MN where I was competing in my first triathlon the next morning!  I was so thrilled that Mackenzie Ross and my sister competed with me.  My cousin, Jesse Leblanc is a cop in Walker and organized the entire event.  It was called "Chase the Police Triathlon."  It started with a 0.25 mile swim, followed by a 17 mile bike ride, and then finished with a 2.5 mile run.  I never in a million years would have seen myself competing in  triathlon, but I can now check that off my list of things to do in life.  I definitely want to do another one :-) Check out http://www.walkertriathlon.com/ to watch a great clip they put in the LakeLand News about the triathlon.

After a day of relaxing, I was off to Thief River Falls to attend the Miss Thief River Falls Pageant.  I have one word to describe this pageant, organized! This pageant was perfect down to the very program books.  The theater was incredible and the place was packed!  There was so much support that they had to start seating the balcony seats.  Congratulations the to newly crowned Miss Thief River Falls, Meghan Kuznia.

I spent the night in Thief River Falls and was Kathryn's "little helper" for her first Inspiring America Concert as Miss Minnesota.  It was a grand success!  Kathryn recognized some incredible individuals and families that I can only define as truly inspiring.  I wore Kathryn's "WHIY" t-shirt to try and get people to buy them at the concert, symbolizing "Who Has Inspired You." Kathryn plans to organize many more Inspiring America Concerts throughout her year as Miss Minnesota and I strongly encourage you to attend one,  you will leave feeling uplifted and driven to make a difference.

On August 5th I was at the Moorhead Dairy Queen promoting Miracle Treat Day which is a nation wide fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network.  The owners we so kind and gave me an awesome "Moorhead Dairy Queen" t-shirt.  I handed out coupons and of course bought my own blizzard to support the cause.

As my year as Miss Moorhead is shortly coming to an end I still have so much work to do!  I'm enjoying every moment and keeping myself very busy.  I'm hosting my last two fundraisers for CMN as Miss Moorhead on August 9th and August 16th from 5:00-8:00pm at the Waite Park Pizza Ranch.  I hope to see you all there!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Scheels 5K to the Water Carnival Parade

On Saturday July 19th I attended the Scheels 5K benefiting the Central Minnesota's Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization!  It was great running for a cause that I have been so passionate about for several years.  The event had raised $1,420.  I was thrilled to have been a participant of such a great event.  My older sister Melanie ran it with me.  It was her first 5K ever and she was incredible! Thanks to Melanie and Tina for running it with me :-)

The next day I was in the Detroit Lakes Water Carnival Parade with my little sister queen Paige Meyer!  Her Mom, Alice, picked me up in Perham and we drove to the parade together in one of the largest trucks I have ever been in.  We were number 94 in the parade line up so when we got there we have some time to spare.  We made sure our crowns were on straight and talked to some of the other floats that were around us.  There were some clowns behind us who sang Happy Birthday to Bailey (Paige's little sister).  It was Bailey's 16th Birthday and she was helping us pass out candy at the parade.  Thanks to the Meyer family for helping out, you are all so kind!  If you have never been to the Water Carnival Parade, it is the longest parade ever!  It had to of been at least 3 miles long and it was packed with people the entire way.  It was HUGE!  I had a great time.  The best part about driving up North is that I get to see Kathryn.  I got to visit with her for a little bit after the parade before driving back home to St. Cloud.  Kathryn showed me some of the jewlery she got from Dazzle Me Jewels and Coco & Chloe, two of Miss Minnesota's sponsors.  It was all so beautiful! She had it laying out on the bed for display.  All I have to say is that if you think Kathryn already has great jewlery, wait until you see this stuff-so unique and fun!  

 

I will be at the Miss Frazee Pageant on Saturday and then in the Frazee Turkey Days Parade on Sunday.  I hope to see you there!

Always,

Bethany Beniek   

   

Miss Northwest, Pelican Rapids Parade and more FUN!

This past Friday, July 9th, I attended the 75th Miss Northwest Pageant.  There were 8 talented contestants competing for Miss Northwest and I of course had a wonderful time seeing many of the Miss MN 2010 girls :-) Congratulations to the new Miss Northwest, Melissa Paakh! 

The next day I was invited to be in the Pelican Rapids Parade.  My committee also invited Kathryn Knuttila, Miss Minnesota 2010, to join me in the parade and we had a great time together.  The best thing about this parade was that it wan't too long, and honestly everyone waved back to you :-) Kathryn's nephews watched the parade and collected A LOT of candy for me to eat :-) I ate all the tootie rolls in seconds.

After the parade Kathryn invited all of the Miss MN 2010 Contestants over for a reunion at her lake cabin.  Although many girls could not attend I was so thrilled to be able to see and hang out with a few of them!  I went water skiing for the first time in my life! I was so scared! I love going on rides and getting butterflies, but this was a whole different feeling.  Almost like I was watching a thiller movie and the super scary parts wouldn't stop!  Yes, I wiped out on my first try, but I am proud to say I got up on my second try and rode around the lake.  I looked like a rookie doing squats on water skiis.  I clearly had no idea what I was doing, but at least I can say I did it :-)

I was the first person to water skii, and then it was Kathryn's turn.  I did not know Kathryn was a professional water skiier! She was SO GOOD! She was very modest the whole time saying things like, "I haven't gone all summer," and "I know I'll fall first time."  Well, my jaw dropped when she got up on ONE skii and started doing tricks and water sprays larger than 12 feet!  I was impressed.  I told her that all the contestants for Miss MN 2011 need to step up their game after watching her water skii!

This is Kathryn.....I told you she was good!!

Let's not forget that Aja and Kathryn went water skiing at the same time!  One had a shorter rope than the other and they would skii under the other's rope!  This is just an incredible example that pageant girls are so much more than meets the eye! This weekend was unforgettable! I had a blast.

This Saturday I will be running in a 5K benefiting the Big Brother's Big Sister's Organization in St. Cloud and then singing the National Anthem at the River Bats Game in Waite Park that same evening. On Sunday I will be apart of the Water Carnival Parade.  Hope to see you there!

Always,
Bethany Beniek