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I am writing to you from the kitchen counter at Mama and Papa Dretsch (Katie Dretsch’s parent’s house in Frazee, MN). Katie and I are sitting at the kitchen counter; Katie’s finalizing the script for Alyssa (Miss MN Outstanding Teen) send-off to Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, and I am blogging to you about my 7th week as Miss Minnesota.

I began my week on Monday with a great workout with Kim Remington (Miss Minnesota trainer) in Forest Lake. I ended Monday with my 24th birthday celebration. I had dinner at my parent’s house with Grandma and Grandpa Freund, Grandpa McDermott, Leif and my parents. After dinner and presents we went out to the back yard and had the inaugural bonfire in my mom’s new fire pit.

On Wednesday I drove to the Cities for the grand opening of Paeonia Floral’s third location: this new store is in Robbinsdale. Paeonia Floral is a great sponsor of Miss Minnesota and it was great to meet some of the many supporters of this pageant. After the grand opening, I did a little shopping and went to my Aunt Lori and Uncle Doug’s to get ready for the Twins game with Jennifer (Miss MN co-director). It was a great game! It was a little weird to watch a game from a glass booth; I am used to trekking up and down the stairs and climbing over people to get to my seat. I do LOVE baseball!

On Thursday I had a photo shoot with Paula Preston for my Miss America headshot. That evening I got to go to another Twins game. Did I mention I really like baseball; especially the Minnesota Twins? I met Leif and our friends Kevin and Jill in Bloomington and we all took the light rail to the Metrodome. Our seats were in the eighth row behind the Twins dugout so we got to see all the action. Ron Gardenhier threw a temper tantrum on the field and got thrown …again! There was not a dull moment at this Twins game. If you watched the Twins v. White Soxs on Thursday, you know what I mean.

I spent the weekend in Detroit Lakes and ended up here, at the Dretsch residence. Sunday afternoon Katie, Joe (Katie’s brother), Leif and I spent part of the afternoon playing yard games. Then, we headed inside to get some work done; Katie and I on our computers and the boys watching the game. I have to get going now because I need to finish getting ready for Alyssa’s send-off….

...I am back…Alyssa’s send-off went really well! I finally got to see her talent piece that she will be performing at Miss America’s Outstanding Teen next week. Alyssa and I have been at plenty of pageants together and I have yet to see Alyssa dance. I am usually backstage getting ready to go out on stage myself. I cannot wait to see her perform this in Florida! Alyssa is a wonderful representative for the Frazee community and has been doing a great job as Miss MN Outstanding Teen. I know she will do a phenomenal job representing our state at Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. Good luck, Alyssa, and I will see you in Florida!

-Angie-


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The beginning of this week was pretty calm... another opportunity to rest up from last weekend’s craziness and fuel up for this weekend.

On Monday I went to see the movie Kit Kittredge with the ladies in Leif’s family: Karina, Kelsey, Aunt Judy, Julie, Kristina and Cassandra. Karina mentioned it a couple of weeks ago, and thankfully my schedule was free. I loved the American Girl books when I was younger. I remember reading the Felicity books and I rented that movie a month or so ago. I had forgotten how much I loved those books! What I realized after the movie is that I still love period books and movies like I did when I was younger.

On Thursday afternoon, Mom and I drove to Hayfield for the Miss Hey Days Pageant. I attended this pageant a few years ago as Miss Austin. It’s a great pageant with a lot of community support. I performed “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and assisted with the coronation. For the first time in 20 years, the contestants were called back into their individual interview for additional questioning because there was a tie. The additional question did not break the tie, so they ended up crowning two Princesses. Congratulations to Kayley Dahle, Miss Hey Days 2008 and Hanna Volgarino and Megan Leckness who were crowned Princesses. After the pageant, I signed autographs and packed up to head to the Cities. Thursday night we stayed at Aunt Lori and Uncle Doug’s house as yet again we had to be up early to head to Perham.

Friday morning we were up around 5:30 a.m. to get ready and get on the road to Perham for the Miss Perham and Miss Heart of the Lakes Pageant. When we left the Cities, it was dreary and raining and I was extremely displeased that the bad weather cloud that followed me around had returned. As we kept driving, the sky cleared and it was a gorgeous morning! We arrived in Perham around 9:30 and I met the contestants at the Stationhouse Restaurant for brunch. After brunch, I received a tour of downtown Perham from Haley (Miss Perham ’07) and Tara (Miss Heart of the Lakes ’07). Of course, during my tour we found several opportunities to assist the local businesses and I did a little shopping. After shopping we returned to the high school and I hung out with the contestants as they prepared for their private interviews. When interviews concluded, I attend the judges’ dinner at Mulligan’s Pub and Eatery at the Lakeside Golf Club. We returned to the high school - but not before we stopped at Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone! - and I got ready for the pageant. I performed at the pageant and assisted with crowning. Have I mentioned how much I love that I do not have to compete, or at least not until Miss America…YIKES! Congratulations to Karlie Miller, Miss Perham and Mckenzie Ross, Miss Heart of the Lakes. It was my first trip to Perham and I will definitely love to visit again! Friday night we crashed at Haley’s house. I slept like a rock and Mama Skow had lots of yummy things to eat for breakfast, mainly REALLY GOOD strawberries. Many thanks to the Skow family for opening their home to my mom and me.

Saturday morning we returned to Perham and went to the Public Library to get a little work done... email and Miss America paperwork! We headed to Frazee around noon to experience a bit of the Turkey Days celebration and attend the Miss Frazee Pageant. We were given a tour of the town by Hazel and I got to see the biggest turkey ever! We tasted the famous turkey drummies and, my personal favorite of the day, a refreshing shaved ice in the “bahama mama” flavor. I always got that flavor when I was little. I’m pretty sure that I just like saying it. Try it - “Bahama Mama!” Fun, huh? After our tour, I went back to Katie’s (Miss Frazee) and went on a quick boat ride with Katie, her brother Joe, and Kayla (Miss Moorhead). Mama Dretsch made “crockpot tacos” for dinner and then we were off to the high school for a sound check and to get ready for the evening. Miss Frazee is yet another local pageant where they have remarkable community support! I performed “Popular” from the musical Wicked per Miss Frazee’s request as she was singing “Defying Gravity.” Congratulations to Rylee Daggett, the new Miss Frazee!

-Angie-


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Hi All! My time as Miss MN is flying by and this week was ridiculously busy.

On Tuesday evening I had an appearance close to home; I went to the Austin Chamber of Commerce Ag Appreciation Dinner at the Mower County Fairgrounds in Austin. Who would believe that I knew so many people in the Agricultural Community? I had the opportunity to chat with the new Miss Austin, Mandie Mickelson, and meet and greet many community members as well as family and friends in attendance.

Wednesday afternoon, Mom and I drove to Minnesota Lake (which is between Albert Lea and Mankato) for Festag Days festivities. We attended a luncheon with the Miss Festag contestants, judges and other royalty from the area. After we ate, we all headed to our respective floats and convertibles for the Festag Days Parade. I rode in a lovely red convertible and for the first time ever wore my evening gown in a parade. I was in a classic convertible with a really long back end. The train of my dress covered the entire trunk of the car. After the parade, the Miss Festag ladies and I walked to the center of town for the coronation of Miss Festag 2008 and her court. Congratulations to Sarah Anderson, Miss Festag 2008, First Runner-Up and Miss Congeniality Rita Woitas, and Second Runner-Up Aubrey Boertje.

Thankfully on Thursday I got to take it easy... because Friday and Saturday were going to be crazy!

On Friday morning, Mom and I drove to the Root River Antique Engine & Tractor Show which was held south of Rochester just behind the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley. There is an entire little village nestled behind that speedway and I could not even contain my enthusiasm. Hugh Simon, Chairman, was teasing me for being so “wound up.” What can I say? I love interactive field trips. I cannot begin to tell you how much fun I had at this event! I GOT TO DRIVE A TRACTOR!! Each year a different tractor is chosen to be featured and this year is was the Allis Chalmers. I led the parade on an Allis Chalmers D-12. Thanks to everyone that allowed me to test drive their tractor and help at the saw mill!

Friday afternoon my family loaded up the cars and headed to the Cities because I was going to sing the National Anthem at the Minnesota Twin Game. AAAAAAHHH! During the first meeting I had with the Miss Minnesota board, I mentioned that I would love to sing the National Anthem at a Twins game. My second week as Miss MN, I got an email from Barb letting me know that I was going to sing the National Anthem for my favorite sports team. It was an amazing experience and I hope to have the opportunity to do it again someday! Cross your fingers. After the game, we stayed with my Aunt Lori in the Cities because we had to get a very early start Saturday morning.

Saturday morning we got up with the sun to set off for Morris to attend the Miss Morris/Miss Midwest Pageant. I arrived around 9:30 a.m. to have brunch with Kelsey (Miss Midwest ‘07) and Bethany (Miss Morris ’07), along with the contestants and their families. After brunch, Kelsey kidnapped me for the day. We worked on adding the final pictures to her slideshow for the pageant, hung out with the contestants during their interviews, and then returned to Kelsey’s director’s house to get ready for the pageant and attend the judges’ dinner. I had so much fun! The day was very long and I was extremely tired by 10:30 p.m., but it was great to spend time with Kelsey and Bethany again and enjoy time with all of the contestants during the day. Congratulations to Eileen Franey, Miss Morris Area 2008 and Quinn Nystrom, Miss Midwest 2008!

-Angie-

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I started my week at the Around Town Golf Classic at Burl Oaks Golf Club just north of Mound, MN. Around Town is a local television show that features area businesses, organizations, destinations and more. The proceeds for the Around Town Golf Classic are split and shared with both Channel 6 and United Cerebral Palsy of Minnesota. One of the hosts of Around Town, Carla Beaurline, is a long-time supporter of the Miss America Organization. Carla was Second Runner-up in the Miss Minnesota America Scholarship Organization in 1990 and served as an Executive Board Member in 2001-2002. This year, Kelsey Malecha and I were awarded the Beaurline Communication Scholarship – it’s given to the interview winners each year and sponsored by Carla and her family.

I had a wonderful time at this event! Thankfully, the rain held off and we had a great day of golf. Actually… I did not have a “great day of golf”, since I do not golf, but I had a great day cruising around in a golf cart selling “gimme” sticks (a.k.a. hole extenders) and mulligans with Laura Frachette of Selfless Opportunities.

On Friday I drove me, myself and I (my first solo road trip as Miss MN) to Detroit Lakes for the Miss Northwest Pageant. It was yet another region of the state that was new to me and it was a beautiful drive. Unfortunately, I brought Miss MN weather with me and there were some scary clouds, a few hail stones and apparently funnel clouds swirling about. Besides the severe weather, it was a great trip. I sang the National Anthem at the pageant (my first as Miss MN) and I performed “Feeling Good.” I also confessed to the audience that all weather related incidents in the Miss MN pageant system this year, seem to be attributed to my presence! It began with the Miss Twin Cities pageant (my local title) which was held during a blizzard, and it has continued to follow me wherever I go in my Miss MN travels. I don’t want to believe that this is indeed the case, but it seems to be a pattern that I soon will not be able to talk my way out of.

At any rate, I had a great time catching up with other Miss MN contestants; Katie (Miss Frazee) and Mackenzie (Miss Northwest). I also got to know our new Miss Minnesota’s Outstanding Teen, Alyssa Mayfield. I’m excited to go to Orlando in August to cheer her on at the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageant. At the end of the night, Lacey Erickson was crowned the new Miss Northwest. Congratulations, Lacey!

-Angie-

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I took Monday and a little bit of Tuesday morning to recover from our long drive to Miss Brainerd Lakes and Marshall County. After I caught up on sleep, the rest of the week was pretty calm. I had an appearance on Friday, the Austin Fourth of July Parade. I had so much fun at the parade! It was my first time appearing in my hometown as Miss Minnesota 2008. I could not believe how many people were hollering out my name and telling me how proud they were of me. I heard a number of people tell the person next to them, “She’s from Austin!” I have been in many of Austin’s Fourth of July parades but this was by far the best one to date! Kari Johnson was my driver for the parade; she piloted her dad’s gorgeous red (my FAVORITE color) corvette.

-Angie-

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I have GREAT news…I think I have caught up on my sleep!! One odd side effect of Miss MN week and becoming Miss Minnesota is that I take more naps. I have probably taken more naps in the past week than I have taken in the past two or three years. Hopefully, that does not continue because I am not a fan of naps. I sleep VERY deeply, so when I sleep, I want to sleep, not wake up in 15 - 20 minutes. The last time I took a good nap, I woke up and didn’t know if it was dawn or dusk, Tuesday or Wednesday. I woke up in a panic because, if it WAS Wednesday, I was late for work and a field trip that I coordinated. It turned out to be Tuesday and I did not miss my field trip…thank goodness! For those of you that are deep sleepers, you understand my issue.

I digress! Aside from the napping, week two is going well! I started off the week with a visit to Twin Cities Live on KSTP for an interview with Mike and Rebekah. Part of my interview was singing my Miss Minnesota talent, “Bridge over Troubled Water.” It was the first time that I have sung on live TV. It was pretty cool! The rest of the week was pretty calm. I attended a Miss MN board meeting to touch base with my new committee and, most importantly, to tape some little promo blips for TLC’s Miss America Reality Check. They went something like this… “I am Angela McDermott, Miss Minnesota,” “I am Miss Minnesota, Angela McDermott,” “I am Miss Minnesota, see me on Miss America Reality Check on Friday 8, 7 central,” “I am …,” “… .” I was rehearsing my lines for Rod and Johnnie (the videographer) and after a few “I am Miss Minnesota’s,” I looked at Rod and laughed, “Rod, I am Miss Minnesota!” He just shook his head and laughed at me. I will be sure to let you all know when this Miss Minnesota thing sinks in.

I was off duty (a.k.a. no appearances) for the rest of the week. Wednesday night and Thursday, I started packing for the weekend. I was going camping with my mom’s side of the family for a couple of days and then heading up north (way up north) for my first local pageants as Miss Minnesota. On Thursday afternoon, we left for Bluff Valley (a campground outside of Zumbro Falls, near Rochester). On Thursday, we took it easy and I had s’mores. On Friday, we all went tubing down the Zumbro River. The river was pretty high and cold. We were all a bit chilled after our first trip down the river. We had lunch, thankfully the clouds broke, the sun shone bright and we headed down the river again. The second trip was perfect! Nice and toasty! We reached our exit point and the clouds returned. We couldn’t have timed it any better.

Saturday morning, Leif, my mom and I woke up early, got ready and loaded up the car to head up north. We departed around 9 a.m. and left my dad, my brother and his girlfriend with the rest of the family at the campground to fend for themselves. We had a four hour drive to Brainerd for the Miss Brainerd Lakes Pageant. Upon arriving at about 1 o’clock, I met the contestants and was able to chat with them while they waited for their interviews. I set up my dressing room and then Liz, Miss Brainerd Lakes, took me to the Solberg’s (family friends) cabin right outside of Brainerd, where Leif and my mom were hanging out before the pageant. The pageant went really well! It was really nice to watch a pageant instead of competing. I also got to see many of the ladies I have competed with in the past: Allison Lordbock, a former Miss Brainerd Lakes whom I competed with at Miss MN ’06, and the Miss MN ’08 Top 5 were there - Katie Dretsch, Stacy Mandelkow, Kelsey Malecha and Mackenzie Ross! It was so much fun to see these ladies. It is hard to explain how we form such great bonds in such a short time. I assume it is in part because we all went through a very exciting and stressful experience together that many cannot relate to. I had a lot of fun on stage! I performed one of my favorite songs, “Feeling Good,” which was my talent piece at Miss MN ’06. Brainerd Lakes has a great runway on their stage, so my performance was a bit more impromptu than usual; it is nice to mix it up. Congrats to the new Miss Brainerd Lakes, Emily Wyman!

After the pageant we went back to the Solberg’s to relax and get some sleep. I slept like a rock, as usual, and Janelle made us a really yummy breakfast - Belgian waffles! We packed up and were on the road again for a four hour jaunt to the Miss Marshall County Pageant in Newfolden. It was a long drive but it was a gorgeous day for a drive! We arrived around two o’clock and I got ready for the pageant and did a sound check. I performed “Feeling Good” at the beginning of the pageant, watched the talent competition and part of evening gown before I changed to help with the crowning. Before crowning, I had the opportunity to sing another song to help fill some time. I sang “Bridge over Troubled Water,” my talent at Miss Minnesota this year. Congrats to the new Miss Marshall County, Jaclyn Beito!

The new experience for this week has been helping with the crowning of the new local title holders. I am used to seeing Miss Minnesota doing this and now, that is ME…AAAAAHHH! It still hasn’t quite sunk in!! Maybe by the next time I write?

-Angie-

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WOW, I am Miss Minnesota! This little tidbit has definitely not sunk in. I still think of Karyn, Nicole and Jennifer as Miss Minnesota. My first week as Miss Minnesota was extremely crazy and overwhelming.

My first order of business was for my parents, the Miss Twin Cities committee and myself to meet my new committee for brunch. We were all extremely tired so we covered the basics: duties and expectations of Miss Minnesota, and my immediate list of appearances. After brunch I was very anxious to get home, get unpacked and SLEEP! For those of you who had experienced Miss MN week you know how much you want sleep by the end of the week.

Right away on Monday morning I set off to meet Nicole (Miss MN ’06/Miss MN webmaster) to go over the website and of course I gathered bits of wisdom to helping me transition into my new position. After Miss Austin, my first trip to Miss MN, and Miss Twin Cities, I expected one or two media personnel to be contacting me at the beginning of the week. I was not prepared for the Austin Daily Herald, The Austin Post Bulleting, KAUS Radio, KAAL, KTTC, WCCO and KSTP-Twin Cities Live. I really enjoy seeing the Miss America program getting good press and knowing people are learning about the organization that I have spent the last four years of my life experiencing. On Monday I also had a phone interview with the Austin Post Bulletin.

On Tuesday, I headed to the Cities for my first photo shoot as Miss MN.

Wednesday I was in Rochester for my interview with Jess Abrahamson at KTTC and taped an interview with Crystal Oko.

Friday morning I was at KAAL-TV in Austin at 5:50 a.m. (and for those who don’t know me… I am NOT a morning person!) and then went to KAUS Radio for a morning of interview with Dean DeBoer on The Morning Show, Duane Germain on KAUS Klassifieds and taped an interview with John Wright.

On Saturday my mom and I went to the cities for my interview on WCCO with Liz Collin. After my interview at WCCO my mom and I set off towards Osh Kosh, Wisconsin for the 2008 Miss Wisconsin Pageant. It was a long drive but a lot of fun. Congratulations to Briana Lipor, Miss Wisconsin 2008 - see you in Vegas!

On Sunday morning we headed back to Minnesota for my first parade as Miss Minnesota: the Steamboat Days Parade in Winona. It was a great day for a parade, until about halfway through where I found myself under a lovely rain cloud. I got a little wet but luckily the majority of the rain held off until we got to the end of the parade route and Ritch (who drove me in his gorgeous black Thunderbird through the parade) got the top up.

What a crazy week! There were two cell phones ringing, two email accounts going, scheduling interviews and appearances for Miss MN, setting up my office and family and friends wanting to say congratulations. It was definitely a very overwhelming first week (due in large part to my recurring need for sleep) but I know that once I get into the swing of things this it will be even more amazing than it has already been.

-Angie-

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