by Erin Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers

A new Miss Eagan has been crowned and she is the genuine article.

Eagan resident Lauren Graff, 17, was crowned Thursday, June 29 as part of Eagan's July 4 Funfest.

"I'm really excited to be able to represent Eagan in this way and to meet new people.,î Graff said. "It's already been a lot of fun.î

The pageant faced some controversy earlier this year when City Council Member Cyndee Fields, who is running for mayor, lobbied unsuccessfully to restrict the pageant to Eagan residents only.

The previous two Miss Eagans were from Apple Valley.

The council voted to keep the pageant open to girls who attend school in one of Eagan's three school districts: 191, 196, and 197.

But this year all of the contestants for Miss Eagan Queen were actually from Eagan, said pageant organizer Christine Kilgarriff.

Graff said she had never heard of the pageant until she read about the controversy in the newspaper.

"It got me really interested in it,î she said. "I don't think it should be open to only Eagan people, but I was disappointed to see the winners of the past couple of years were from Apple Valley.î

Kilgariff said she thinks Graff will be "a great queen.î

"She's very poised and very well spoken. I think she's going to do very well,î she said.

Graff attributes part of her poise to being on the speech team at Eagan High School, where she will be a senior this fall.

"You gain a lot of confidence, and talking to people is so much easier, even if you're already a good public speaker,î she said.

Graff said she is currently looking at colleges, including Gustavus Adolphus and schools in Chicago and Milwaukee, and she thinks she might major in education, social services, or art, which is one of her passions.

This summer, however, she will be kept busy attending parades and events around the metro area, including Rosemount's Leprechaun Days and Burnsville's Fire Muster.

"It's going to be busy, but I like being busy. I like to be out there doing stuff,î she said.

She will have the company of other Miss Eagan royalty, including Miss Eagan Junior Teen Natasha Grad, 11, who attends Woodland Elementary School, and Miss Eagan Princess Megan Smith, 9, who attends Echo Park Elementary School.

Graff said she's already made friends through the pageant.

"Just going to these events with the other girls has been a lot of fun,î Graff said. "They're doing it for the same reason I am -- just to have fun and try something new.î

First runners up in the pageant include Miss Eagan Queen's court Victoria Kucera, 16, who attends Burnsville High School; Miss Junior Queen's court Shelah Mulhere, 13, who attends St. Joseph Catholic School; and Miss Eagan Princess's court, Anna Gwaltney, 10, who attends Faithful Shepherd Catholic School.

Erin Johnson is at eagan.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

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