By Pam Fedack
Lacey Toews had barely registered what she’d heard when her name echoed through Altona Centennial Park Saturday night. But when the realization set in, the new Manitoba Sunflower Festival Queen stood in shock, trying to process the moment.
“I had to second-guess it,” Toews recalled in a phone interview. “I heard my name, and it didn’t register. And then I realized I heard my name… it was pure shock.”
The day after her crowning, the excitement was still fresh.
“I’m thrilled and excited, and I haven’t stopped smiling,” she said. “My friends and family are just so excited. I’m so lucky to have a support group like them.”
For Toews, being crowned Queen wasn’t just the end of a journey — it was the realization of a childhood dream.
“I remember one of the queens years ago had a purple dress, and I just looked up to her so much. I said, ‘I’m going to have a purple dress too when I’m in Queen Quest one day’ — and I did, just because of her.”
Toews graduated from W.C. Miller Collegiate in 2023 and currently works as an educational assistant at École West Park School. She says the two summers she spent working as a Bible camp counsellor helped prepare her for the experience — and life.
“Camp made me a more confident and positive person. You meet so many kinds of kids, and it opens your mind,” she said. “It really helped to shape me.”
Still, Toews admitted she hadn’t expected just how involved the Queen Quest experience would be.
“I didn’t realize how much time and effort it would take,” she said. “All the dance rehearsals, the speech prep… it’s a lot. However, working with the other girls made it all worthwhile. We all bonded so quickly, and I’ll miss them so much.”
That bond extended across continents, as Altona welcomed guests from its long-standing sister city of Emerald, Australia — a connection that has seen festival royalty travel between the two communities since 1983. This year, 2025 Central Highlands Easter Sunflower Festival Queen Jessica Mitchell and First Princess Hannah Ryan took part in the celebrations in Altona as part of that tradition.
Toews said she and Mitchell connected right away.
“It means so much to have my bestie Queen from another world away,” she said. “We’ve had such a good bond.”
That connection will continue next year when Toews travels to Emerald to represent Altona at their Sunflower Festival — her first international trip.
“I didn’t see this coming at all,” she said. “It still doesn’t feel real, but I’m so excited. I’ve never travelled outside North America, so this will be my biggest adventure yet.”
Mitchell, who made the journey to Canada with her mother, Peta, and princess Hannah Ryan and her mother, said the welcome they received in Altona has been unforgettable.
“Our festival back home is very different,” Mitchell said by phone. “The community gets involved, but not to this level. Here, it’s everything — the dance, the fashion show, the crowning. Altona does it big.”
One of the most memorable moments of the trip came together at the last minute — a spontaneous community baseball game organized on the spur of the moment.
“One of the moms put out a message on Facebook that the Aussies wanted to play baseball, and the whole community showed up,” said Mitchell. “There were like 30 or 40 people. They had music … it was amazing.”
The game turned into a whole evening of fun, complete with a mid-game line dance.
“We taught them the Nutbush — it’s like our version of line dancing in Australia,” Mitchell said. “Everyone was just having a blast. It was all planned over lunch, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the week.”
Mitchell said being part of the sister city exchange has been a meaningful experience.
“You don’t get to say every day that you went to Canada to represent your hometown,” she said. “It honestly means a lot.”
Her advice for Toews ahead of the 2026 trip?
“Take it all in — every moment,” said Mitchell. “I’ve been writing down everything we’ve done each night, just to remember it all. It’s so much fun and it goes by fast.”
She also offered words of encouragement to other young women considering Queen Quest.
“If you’re thinking about it, just do it,” she said. “Lacey’s been dreaming about this for years and look at her now.”
Toews echoed that same sentiment.
“If you’re thinking about doing it, just do it, and do it with everything you’ve got,” she said. “Have the most fun you can. I’m just excited for this upcoming year. It’s going to be a great one.”
Also recognized at this year’s crowning ceremony were Claribelle Thiessen, named First Princess, and Alexia Loewen, named Second Princess. Thiessen was also voted Miss Congeniality, an honour chosen by her fellow Queen Quest participants.
