Miss America is less than three months away! The days are flying by and have been filled with appearances, workouts, practicing piano and much more Miss America prep. In addition to preparing for Miss America, I have continued to keep busy with several appearances across the state.

Congratulations to Aja Majkrzak and Lauren Johnson who were just crowned Miss Capital City and Miss Twin Cities. I had the great honor of giving my farewell to the local title of Miss Twin Cities that I proudly represented prior to becoming Miss Minnesota, and also crowned the new titleholder. I reflect back to where I was a year ago…preparing for Miss Twin Cities without knowing that one year from then I would be preparing for the job of Miss America. I am so excited I can hardly stand it! Thank you so much to Kathy Shellum and Judy Register for being such wonderful directors by not only encouraging me, but also pushing me out of my comfort zone so that I would be prepared for this once in a lifetime job. You two will forever be my friends!

Prior to the pageant, I teamed up with the organization “Cheerful Givers” for the National Make a Difference Day. The mission of “Cheerful Givers” is to provide toy-filled birthday bags to food shelves and homeless shelters so that parents living in poverty can give their child a birthday gift. In one hour, we bagged over 1,900 birthday bags to provide for families in need. As I participated in this event, I couldn’t help but feel so blessed for the life I have been provided and to feel encouraged by the smile these gifts will provide to a child. What a humbling experience. Volunteering with this organization only takes an hour or two of your time, but can make the world of a difference to a child. Check out their website at Cheerfulgivers.org to find out more information about volunteering!

On October 15th, I had another Night of Inspiration Concert in Cambridge, MN at “In His Steps Ballet Studio.” This was a unique night of talent with the dance students from the studio performing to my piano music! This was also a great night with more inspiring stories. I’d love to take a moment to share the story of Grace, who was the Gillette patient we recognized as an Inspiring American.

Grace was born 16 weeks early weighing barely a pound. Like many premature infants, she has cerebral palsy – a form of brain damage that, for Grace, affects her ability to speak. Until two years ago, life without words was 6-year-old Grace’s reality. But, this strong little girl persisted and overcame her major life obstacle. To read more about how her mother never thought she would hear her daughter say “I love you” and the talker she now uses, check out Grace’s Story on whohasinspiredyou.com!

On October 17th, I joined my two friends Kaylah Dockter and Aja Majkrzak in St. Cloud to perform at a benefit concert for a high school’s orchestra program. With budget cuts taking a toll on schools across the country, this St. Cloud School’s orchestral program made the decision to fundraise through numerous concerts. With music being an integral part of my life, I was thrilled to be a part of the concert! I have to say their orchestra was superb, AND, I will be writing a piece for them to perform at a future concert; as you can imagine, with a love for composing music, I am very excited for this task! I would not be who I am today if my parents had not put me in piano lessons at the age of 5. No matter what was going on in my life, I could use music as an escape or even a way to deal with my emotions. I can’t imagine that being taken away from a student so I was honored to help them out!

On the 21st of October, I had a fantastic appearance in Vergas, MN! I was invited to the beautiful home of The McGrady’s who hosted several of their friends for an Evening of Inspiration with Miss Minnesota. They welcomed me as a dinner guest (which was probably the best four course meal I have ever had!), and then I had the opportunity to perform on a beautiful grand piano while also sharing about the Children’s Miracle Network and my platform of Inspiring America.

Their generosity and graciousness was absolutely remarkable. This group of 20 individuals gave over $2,500 in donations to CMN! What a night; I felt so honored that they would so graciously and generously give to this great organization on my behalf! With their help, I have now raised over $10,000 for CMN!!! At this rate, I know I will far exceed my goal of raising $15,000 throughout my year of service as Miss Minnesota, and hopefully as Miss America!

The next two weeks are jam-packed with appearances so I will try to blog a bit sooner to keep you updated! Thank you again for your time and support. I hope that you are inspired to make a difference in your community!

"I am the Queen of the World"

Now, before you jump to the conclusion that I have grown rather conceited over the past four months since becoming Miss Minnesota, please read on as you’ll see the title of this blog is not my words or thoughts…I promise! But, it is a great line so I just had to include it!



Last week, I visited Small Blessings Preschool in Detroit Lakes. I began by reading my favorite book, "The Giving Tree," and then I read their favorite book about a king who wouldn't get out of the bathtub (children’s literature has such interesting premises, but it certainly captures the attention of these little ones!). After storytime, the teacher asked the kids what I was the queen of. They were quick to shout back, "The whole world!" I laughed and gave them a second guess by providing the clue that I am the queen of the state where we live. So they replied with, "Detroit Lakes!" (Considering they are preschoolers and that is the town we were in, that was close enough!) The giggles and awe from that moment transferred to the piano performance I gave as they couldn’t believe how fast my fingers were going. I really enjoyed this appearance because it reminded me of sweet innocence and to not always take myself too seriously. Oh... and that it is also okay to believe that I am the "Queen of the World" for a day! :)

From the simple yet important inspiration provided by the preschoolers to the deep inspiration I receive from my concert tour, it was such an honor to bring the Night of Inspiration Concert into another community. Last week, the Maplewood community hosted a Night of Inspiration at Redeeming Love Church. One of the nominees, Stacie McBride-Cox, is a great friend and mentor of mine. Stacie has not only inspired me throughout the years, but so many others with the strength she has shown in overcoming her sister's tragic murder. She has shaped many young women into confident and well spoken individuals in the Miss America system, and has certainly played a major role in helping me prepare for the job of Miss Minnesota and Miss America.

The concert also showcased other touching stories like Emily, a sweet girl from Gillette Children’s Hospital, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 13 months old. Although her speech is affected by her condition, she communicates well, which certainly provided great inspiration for all of us. She is such a trooper! Another story was the Mayer Family who lost all three of their daughters in a car accident as the girls drove to their brother’s wedding. While I am not a parent and thus cannot fully understand or even imagine how that could feel, it hurts my heart to even think about it. Debbie Mayer has become a symbol of hope with her strength and has a whole platform and website in honor of her daughters: www.eternalbrideministries.com.


Be sure to check out the complete stories at whohasinspiredyou.com; they will be posted in the near future! All of the unsung heroes recognized at the concert had such powerful stories of strength, which I believe provided life perspective and a blessed feeling. These concerts never cease to amaze me from the constant inspiration I feel to the incredible talent that is showcased providing continued motivation to keep using our God-given gifts. I am so excited for my next Night of Inspiration concert taking place this Friday in Cambridge!


On a short note, I also had the opportunity to speak and perform for the sisters and almuni of the Sigma Alpha Iota Chapter. SAI is a sorority for musicians so I felt very much at home and welcomed as a fellow musician.

Finally, we added another title holder just yesterday who will compete for Miss Minnesota 2011...Miss North Metro, Bethany Beniek! Congratulations to her! She has worked incredibly hard and I know she will represent the North Metro with passion and drive. Congratulations also to Bailey Wachholz, the new North Metro Outstanding Teen! She truly is an outstanding teen who has shown incredible devotion to her platform of Alzheimer’s Awareness! Next up…Miss Twin Cities on Oct. 23rd. This was my local title heading into Miss Minnesota this year. I can't believe how the time has flown by! It is remarkable to think how much has changed since this time last year when I was preparing to compete for Miss Twin Cities. At that time, I could only wish and hope that I would have the opportunity to represent our great state and to compete for Miss America…it is still so surreal to be experiencing that dream!


I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful fall with our summer-like weather! I always love driving to appearances with the beautiful view of colored leaves on trees; it is simply breathtaking. Less than breath-taking, however, is the flu bug that can accompany this season (I just recovered from the flu myself), so stay well this season! I am sending healthy wishes your way!

Kathryn Knuttila
Miss Minnesota 2010