Mary Wadell and Charles Noyd were crowned 2009 Swedish Midsommar Festival royalty on Friday evening, June 19, 2009 in the town square. The 2008 king and queen, Dave Thompson and Cinda Koinzan, presented the new royalty with their crowns and capes. Members of the 2009 royal court include Ethan Brehm, son of Stewart and Kim Brehm; Ashton Holtzen, son of Kevin and Angie Holtzen; Josi Noble, daughter of Shane and Sara Noble; and Hannah Linn, daughter of Joel and Teresa Linn. The following was read about the 2009 Queen Mary Wadell  by her husband, Marv Wadell. It is my honor to introduce and allow you to get to know my wife and 2009 Swedish Festival Queen, Mary Wadell. The third weekend in June is a special time of year, it is Mid-Summer in Sweden and is why we all gather together for the Swedish Festival. Over the years this celebration has created special memories for our family. It was a time shared with grams, gramps, aunts, uncles and cousins. It was special in 1974 when Mary's father, Wilmer Anderson was King, and 1993 when I was the King. Mary grew up in a home with a strong Swedish heritage. Her grandparents immigrated from Sweden, and lived in her home during childhood for many years. This made the traditions part of her life at an early age. She has wonderful memories of growing up in Stromsburg and graduating from Stromsburg High School. After high school, Mary attended Nebraska Wesleyan and received her bachelor of arts degree in elementary education. She taught for the Lincoln Public Schools while pursuing her Master's degree from the University of Nebraska. Mary's passion is to help children learn. She has taught within the Stromsburg Public School district and is currently a teacher for the Polk County Christian School. Mary and I made Stromsburg our home in 1971 when we purchased the Economy Food Store from her parents, Wilmer and Vivian Anderson. The Swedish area in the store, A Touch of Sweden, became part of the business in 1980. This is an interest Mary and her mother shared for many years. Mary's desire to share with the community Swedish culture lead to her active participation in the past Santa Lucia celebrations in December and the Konditor, Swedish Tea Shop, last December. Mary and I are active members of the Stromsburg Covenant Church. Mary has been part of several boards: Christian Education, Diaconate, Covenant Cedars Bible Camp and a Midwest Conference Christian Education consultant. The love she has for her family and her church extends to the community where she is part of Beta Sigma Phi sorority, PEO, Stromsburg School Foundation, Stromsburg Library Foundation, and past member of Stromsburg Alumni Board. Mary and I are blessed with two daughters, Ingrid and Kerstin, who live close by. Ingrid lives in Omaha where she is employed by First National Bank Capital Markets and is vice-president of trading. Kerstin lives in Lincoln where she is a registered nurse at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center. Both girls were attendants for the Swedish Festival king and queen when they were young.

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

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