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      

Fourth of July Parade

Since Miss Minnesota week I have been very busy with work and planning for my big CMN Fundraiser in September entitled, "Reach for you Dreams."  My mom and I have been thinking of advertisement opportunities around the St. Joseph area because the event will be held at The College of Saint Benedict.  We have been designing and printing flyers almost every day trying to get the word out about this incredible event to enjoy an evening out and raise money for an outstanding organization!

We decided to attend several parades to hand out flyers, the first one being the Fourth of July Parade in St. Joseph.  We handed out over 1,000 flyers :-) The weather was SO hot.  I was simply sitting on the back of a convertible and I was sweating!  Thank you so much to Travis and my Mom for walking the 2.5 miles handing out all the flyers for me! You Rock! After the parade we all sat in an air conditioned house for awhile.  I have to give a HUGE thank you to my Great Uncle and Aunt, Art and Char, for letting me use their beautiful Ford Galaxy Convertible during the parade!  It looked great.

I'm looking forward to attending the Miss Northwest Pageant this weekend and getting together with the 2010 contestants! Kathryn is having a "2010 Contestant Reunion Party" and I can't wait to catch up with everyone.  On Saturday I will be attending two more parades in Pelican Rapids and Dent.  I heard these are not nearly as long as the St. Joseph Parade :-) Whew

Always,
Bethany Beniek

  

Miss Brainerd Lakes 2010

I attended the Miss Brainerd Lakes Pageant on Saturday, June 26th.  I was so excited to see some of the contestants from Miss MN week again!  Lauren Johnson was so beautiful on stage and gave up her title with poise and grace.  I also got to see Lexi, Kaylah, Samantha, Paige and Kathryn again!  It's crazy how much you can miss people after one week. 

I got to see Kathryn as Miss Minnesota up on stage!  She did such an amazing job and is already representing Minnesota well.  I'm so jealous of Kathryn's wardrobe, she always has some new dress to show us and I loved the gown she wore when she presented her talent.  It was off one shoulder and had black and white patterns on it.

The Miss Brainerd Lakes Pageant had 8 outstanding contestants this year.  I had a blast watching the pageant.  Anytime I get to watch one I get so excited and want to compete myself :-) I just love performing!

Congratulations to the new Miss Brainerd Lakes 2010, Mary Peterson! I look forward to seeing the incredible things she will accomplish this year.

After the pageant a bunch of people went out to eat and I got to catch up with some close friends!  It was a great evening.

Always,
Bethany Beniek 

Miss MN Week! SATURDAY

Saturday had finally arrived.  I got a good night of rest and woke up to get ready for brunch with my family and friends.  It was so great getting caught up with my committee and family and telling them all about the week.  The brunch was delicious as well :-)

All the contestants got up individually and told a funny memory about the week.  Everyone had great stories to share and it was a wonderful way to showcase how much fun we had throughout the week together.  Writing this blog is so emotional right now because I'm at home trying to get back into reality and I miss everyone so much!  I really hope to keep in touch with all the wonderful contestants this year.  I have made some incredible frienships that will never fade.

After brunch we had some spare time before we left for the theater, so I tried to enjoy the last day at the hotel by visiting with everyone.  Once we arrived at the hotel we rehearsed the final night production and the directors surprised us with new swim wear and evening gown music!  The biggest surprise yet was that the top 10 had to wear sheer scarfs around their waist and have fun with them on stage while competing in swim wear.  I think we all freaked out at first, but once we saw how cool it looked we felt a bit more confident about it :-)

After rehearsal we had plenty of time to get ready.  I warmed up my voice, did some workouts and started doing my hair.  It all felt so surreal in a way.  I couldn't believe I was already getting ready for the Final night of Miss Minnesota week.  I thought to myself, "a new Miss Minnesota will be crowned in less than 3 hours!"  I recieved many cards and flowers from family and friends and I was already getting emotional before the show even started.  I appreciate all the love and support everyone has shown me.  I couldn't ask for better people to suround my everyday life.

Showtime was here! My dressing room always said a prayer before going on stage and we could feel the energy surge through our hands as we held them tightly together.  Thank you Siri and Emily for leading us in prayer our three nights of competition, you helped us feel at peace and excited at the same time.

After the incredible opening number, all 20 contestants stood on stage anxiously awaiting to see who the top 10 were.  This was the hard part!  I could never have chosen just ten people out of this group of ladies.  I really admire what Ann Swanson said at the brunch that morning, "the judges are not chosing a winner from a group of representatives, but a representative from a group of winners!"  I honestly believe that every single woman standing on that stage is indeed a winner.

I am very pround to say that I was a top 10 semifinalist and got to perform on the Miss Minnesota stage again that Saturday evening!  I feel very confident about my swim wear, evening gown and talent performances.  I would not have changed one thing.  Congratulations to the 4th runner up, Allison Lordbach, 3rd runner up, Lauren Johnson, 2nd runner up, Samantha Phillippe, 1st runner up, Siri Freeh and the New Miss Minnesota 2010, Kathryn Knuttila!  Kathryn is my best friend and I honestly felt like I had won Miss Minnesota that evening because I was so happy for her!  She will be a great Miss Minnesota and will represent us well during her year of service.  I cannot wait to see all of the wonderful things she will achieve this year. Kathryn, I'm so proud of you.

After the pageant I headed down to the reception area where I took plenty of photos with everyone who came to support me.  I said goodbye to as many of the contestants as possible and left for the hotel where my mom rubbed my feet (much needed)!  Now I'm back at home and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.  I was treated like royalty all week, never kept a phone on me, never knew what time it was, just enjoyed every moment.  Now I have to keep my phone on me, go to work, study for school, and apply to dental school!  Life is flying by and if there is anything that the Miss America Organization has taught me, it's to enjoy every moment and take in the experience.

The best part about competing for Miss Minnesota is that even though I did not win, I am still Miss Moorhead for three more months.  I am staying very busy with this HUGE event that I am planning on September 24th entitled, "Reach for your Dreams" at the College of Saint Benedicts featuring Tonic Solfa where all proceeds will be donated to the Children's Miracle Network!  Please get your tickets TODAY at

http://www.csbsju.edu/fine-arts/purchase-tickets.htm

My goal is to sell out the 1,047 seat theater! Help make my goal a reality and raise a substantial amount for the Children's Miracle Network!

I will be attending the Miss Brainerd Lakes Pageant this Saturday :-) I hope to see you all there.

Always,
Bethany Beniek