Albertville’s Royal Pair Wraps up Brilliant Year

For now, there is still talk of which dress to wear, how to get to the next community festival, and where to grab breakfast for the candidates along the way. There’s decisions for shoes and music mixes, and even discussion about who to maybe play a bit of a practical joke on this weekend.

The phrase used around the Miss Albertville camp is "Sparkle Time." 

At the end of this week, however, that will come to a happy ending.

“To get to know the girls and the women that are involved in Albertville Royalty as much as you do, it’s like a second family,” said Brittney Heinen, Albertville Princess and last year’s Miss Congeniality. “We’ve all built this relationship. Luckily, that doesn’t end on Sunday.”

Sunday will be the day Heinen and Miss Albertville 2011-2012 Jessica Wojcik hand over their crowns to a new threesome. The coronation takes place over at the performing arts center just after the Albertville Friendly City Days Parade. The moment of truth is set for 4 p.m.

“It’s been such an experience, throughout the year, to meet so many people,” Wojcik said. “I think my weekends kind of started revolving around it. You have to get everything organized. What are you going to put on the float? What music will you have? What are we wearing this weekend? And you have this kind of caravan of families that head from town to town. On top of that you get to share with everyone the pride you have in your community and tell people about your program.”

Neither will stop here. Wojcik said she plans to run for Miss Aquatennial via the royalty program this July. Heinen, meanwhile, has been selected as Miss Minnesota International, and will compete at a pageant in Florida. She leaves the Monday after Friendly City Days.

This year’s royalty was trimmed to two when Albertville Princess Vanessa McCullough stepped down. She was with the group for the first couple months, but had to full of a schedule to continue, the girls said.

“It wasn’t like we didn’t all get along or anything. It was a great group,” said Heinen. “But for some people, that commitment can get tough, and she was balancing work and school anyway.”

Both Heinen and Wojcik hope to leave their mark on the royalty program. The two have been working with organizers Kelly Meyers and Kelly Duncan to make it more or an ambassadorship. The girls have volunteered at Feed My Starving Children, for example, with the help of new board member Alyssa Gallagher.

“I think we all felt like we’d love to be able to do more,” Wojcik said. “There could be more done in your community, kind of raising awareness about different things and what we do as volunteers.”

There is also the junior royalty program, which not every community has. Both Heinen and Wojcik have had “a blast” with their first-grade comrades.

“They kind of become our little brothers and sisters,” Heinen said. “At least for the year.”

So, life will continue. Wojcik will head to Winona this fall, where she will study medical stenography at the Mayo School. Heinen is studying nursing at St. Cloud.

And there will be another coronation–where Jessica is kind of hoping the crown might stay in the family. Her sister, Carli, is a candidate.

“It would be so great,” she said. “But, I love all those girls. It’s a really good group of candidates again. Whoever wins will do a great job.”