By Brenda Erdahl
The week-long Aquatennial celebration is over, the dust has settled, and the new ambassadors have been crowned. Madysen Payne may not have won the Queen of the Lakes title, but she represented Maple Lake well, Maple Lake Royalty Program organizers said.
The 2023 Miss Maple Lake competed with royalty from 43 communities around Minnesota Saturday, July 27, at the Ted Mann Concert Hall at the University of Minnesota where a queen and two Aquatennial Princesses were crowned. The girls were judged on poise, professionalism, public speaking ability, current and future goals, education, and co-curricular/extracurricular activities.
This year, Malaya Yague of Willmar was crowned the new Minneapolis Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes while Grace Panek of Hanover and Jacquelyn Wibstad of Sibley County were crowned Aquatennial Princesses. The three will spend the next year traveling around the country representing the City of Minneapolis and the Aquatennial Festival. At the end of their year of service, each ambassador will receive an educational scholarship in recognition of her service.
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