Three young ladies to vie for Miss GC crown

GLENWOOD CITY — Three young ladies will be competing for the 2024-25 title of Miss Glenwood City.

The candidates have had a busy summer preparing for this year’s Rustic Lore Celebration and queen’s coronation on Saturday, September 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the Glenwood City High School gymnasium. Everyone is welcome to attend.

This year’s candidates are: Haley Barstad, Lillie McGee and Kayley Dickmann.

The candidates’ photographs were taken by Jacob Maes Photography.

Candidate #1: Haley Barstad

Hello! My name is Haley, candidate #1. I am going into my sophomore year at GCHS, I am 15 years old. My parents are Donovan and Brandi. I have two siblings, Leia (11) and Luke (6). I have four dogs, three are basset hounds (Sammy, Gus, and Stella), one German shepherd (Luna), three cats (Beast, Dax, and Rocky), and a spotted gecko (Leo).

I am an explorer of the United Fire/Woodville Fire Department. I joined the fire department because I enjoy serving my community, helping others, and making a difference. The one who inspired me to join is my dad. He joined United Fire in 2020, shortly after we moved to a different house. Always seeing him come home after a call made me realize I wanted to be like him and make a difference. You don’t see many women being firefighters. I want to make that change, inspire other women to join, and show them they won’t be judged. In October, when I turn 16, I plan on becoming a CNA and continuing down the medical path, such as doing EMS and attending school to be a nurse. I am on the volleyball team at GCHS. Volleyball is a sport I deeply enjoy, I’ve been playing it since 5th grade. I am also a part of the student council, Spanish club, choir, and yearbook.

I am proud to say, my sponsor is Brothers Country Mart in Downing, WI. This is a local gas station in Downing; everyone there is so friendly. The owner of Brothers Country Market is Jon Blaser. My family has a close relationship with Jon because my mom used to work there for many years. I was happy to ask him to be my sponsor and support him and the business like he supported my mom.

In my spare time, I like to hunt, fish, camp, paint, spend time with family, friends, and animals, photograph, travel, listen to music, read books, go to the cabin, and just be outside. Last summer I was working at Hilltopper Hangtime. I loved working there because I got to spend time with children. I love spending time with kids no matter what age. I am one of their oldest cousins, so I got to be around many babies throughout my life, which shaped who I am today. I treat my cousins as if they were my own. Family is important in my life and I would do anything for them. I am excited for the opportunity to run for Miss GC and be involved with the community more. I can’t wait to spend the summer with the other candidates and the current Miss GC court.

Candidate #2: Lillie McGee

Hello, my name is Lillie McGee and I am running to be your next Miss Glenwood City. I am currently 16 years old and am a junior at Glenwood City High School. I am the daughter of Ben and Angela McGee and have an older brother Mitchell. I am a 4 sport athlete participating in volleyball, football cheerleading, basketball and softball. I am also a member of 4H and show dairy cows at the St. Croix County Fair and Wisconsin State Fair. Outside of school, sports and 4H, I love spending time with family vacationing in Shell Lake and on Madeline Island.

Candidate #3: Kayley Dickmann

Hi my name is Kayley Dickmann and I am proud to say my sponsor is CarQuest Auto Parts. I am entering my junior year at 16 years old and have 5 younger siblings: Ryley (15), Stella (13), Addison (5), Ellie (4), and lastly, Mason (2). WIth all of my lovely siblings comes my parents Brad and Ashley Garner, I am beyond blessed to have such a wonderful family that brought my passion for caretaking and bonding with young minds. I am on the cheerleading team, Cross country team, and Track team. Some extra curricular activities I’m involved in include being on media rep for yearbook club, art club, FFA, and Spanish club. While in FFA I got the chance to join our Parliamentary Procedure team with some of my close friends at sectionals. I also work in Baldwin at the dairy queen and have been shadowing different health care professions through the Scrub Club at Western Wisconsin Health. Outside of working, clubs, and sports I am also very involved in our music department. I have played the clarinet since 5th grade and sang as an alto for our choir since 6th grade and have participated in our all conference band performance for both my freshman and sophomore years of high school. Moving to such a small town like Glenwood was a big, but amazing change for me and my family. One thing I love about Glenwood is how close knit of a community it is. My friend Julia, this year’s second princess, got me interested in running this year for Miss GC. Through her I have gained a deeper love for our community and how beautiful it truly is. The Miss Glenwood CIty program has allowed me to become the princess I dreamed of being as a little girl and gave me the chance to embody this astounding community and its people. I would be honored to represent our town this year by becoming Miss Glenwood City.