Aquatennial Queen Connie Haenny, 1963

While winning the Queen of the Lakes pageant came with impressive perks for candidates in the early decades of the Aquatennial such as new cars and international trips, schedules proved grueling at times. 1962’s Queen of the Lakes, Pamela Jo Albinson, recalled the work which went into being featured in the parades: “Connie and I had to stand because of the float design. We were strapped into a metal waist--harness attached to a sturdy pole. Then our dresses were placed over the contraption. When the float jounced or jostled, it was quite a task to remain poised and posed.” Pamela Albinson, Seventy Five Years of the Minneapolis Aquatennial (Minneapolis: Nodin Press, 2014). Used with permission of the Hennepin County History Museum.