My mother, Elaine Westring has been chosen the 41st queen of the 2002 Swedish Festival by the past kings and queens because of her impact on the Stromsburg community. Since she, my dad, and their young family moved here in the late 50's, there is very little that has happened in Stromsburg that she hasn't had a hand in. In business, church, and community work, she has made her mark. Elaine owns and operates one of Stromsburg's landmarks, The Book and Variety Store. Many people visit Stromsburg from out of town, having heard about the unique little variety store. They return again and again. An offshoot of the store is her free series of newsletter/recipe articles called "Green Tea and Graham Crackers." Her homemade soaps, made by her very own company, the Little Blue River Soap Company, are for sale in her store and in many gift shops and museums all over the country. Mom and Dad have kept busy with several businesses through the years - always making their mark and Mother managing to work her creative magic along the way. Before the Book and Variety Store, they owned and operated the Town & Country dry goods and clothing store. Then there was Flaherty's in Osceola with her friend and business partner, Bobbi McBride. That was a chance to see all her friends and feed them as well! And before that, the first of what I have always called her chain of "variety" stores, Elaine's in Geneva. Mom is a member of Calvary Lutheran Church at Swede Home, where she is active in Circle and helps out wherever she's needed. She also belongs to Woman's Club and the Chamber of Commerce. She has given programs and demonstrations for those and various other organizations. My mother's community services are many and varied. Like many Stromsburg citizens she has helped with Festival preparations, cooking and baking. In the year 2000, she served as co-chairman of the smorgasbord, one of the Swedish Festival's most demanding jobs. Through the years, she has served as judge for the kid's parades -Homecoming parades and displays. She has always worked hard to support the town of Stromsburg. For several years, she spent part of every busy Monday morning delivering the Chamber of Commerce Stromsburg Fact sheet all over town. Mom is not only a hard worker. She is also an "Idea" person. Her ideas and ingenuity have served the community well. Those qualities were especially needed on the Community Improvement Program committee. She was a member of the very first CIP committee back in 1962. That first committee was the driving force behind getting the Viking Center up and going. More recently, she has helped CIP with several other award-winning projects. She had the idea for the "2000 tulips" - planting 2000 yellow tulip bulbs in the city square park to celebrate the first spring of the 21st century. Some people thought it was a crazy idea but all that digging and planting has given the town a wonderful lovely display each spring. That smorgasbord she co-chaired in 2000 was also a CIP winner. And every year when the judges come to town, mom knows how to welcome them as guests and promote Stromsburg at its best. Another community project owed a lot of its success to her skill and hard work. Last spring she was asked to make the soup for a fundraiser for equipment for the ambulance service. As usual, she stepped up to the plate. And, as always, she went the extra mile by making several different kinds of soup - all delicious by many reports. Working with a lot of others (Mother happily admits that yes, other people worked too!), she was again a principal player in a Civic Improvement Program award winner. But, as Mom is the first to point out, it's nice to win awards but the biggest reward is an improved Stromsburg community. One of her favorite maxims is - not everyone in a community is always in agreement; but once a decision has been made on an issue, everyone in a successful community like Stromsburg works and pulls together for a common goal. Last, but certainly not least, Mother is now serving as Stromsburg's Mayor - the first woman mayor. She puts her heart and soul in the job. She attends meetings and workshops around the state, welcomes visitors to the campgrounds with personal visits, and she listens to suggestions and answers questions from Stromsburg citizens constantly and eagerly. The phone never stops ringing at home and at Book and Variety - you can ask my father! Last July, an article in the York paper describing her Little Blue River Soap Company, called mother "The Queen of Clean." Now she has a new title, Queen of the Stromsburg Swedish Festival. Mom we love you very much and are very proud of you. Congratulations. I know that she will represent Stromsburg with all the enthusiasm that she puts into everything she does.

Brought to you by The City of Stromsburg and the Stromsburg Chamber of Commerce

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