Whitefish Winter Carnival Prime Minister Marcus Duffey, Glacier Sotheby’s International Realty
Dutchess of Lark, Sara Straka
The Whitefish Winter Carnival is off and running for 2020, embracing a theme of “The Roaring 2020s” that will weave through all carnival activities in the coming month.
Marcus Duffey was crowned carnival Prime Minister and Sara Strake was named Duchess of Lark Saturday night at the annual Merry Maker event.
Duffey hails from West Texas, but left Texas to attend Gonzaga University. Marcus met his wife, Audrey Peterson, there and they married soon after graduation. They moved back to Audrey’s hometown of Whitefish as quickly as they could. The Duffeys have enjoyed life in the Flathead Valley with their four children for the past 12 years. Rearing their children — George, 7, Charley, 5, Jane, 3, and Ruth, 1 — in Whitefish was a dream of theirs.
Duffey grew a prominent local business for nearly a dozen years and has participated in dozens of local events and organizations. Today he maintains much of his community involvement as he sits on the North Valley Hospital Foundation Board of Directors and chairs the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Duffey currently is a Realtor with Glacier Sotheby’s International Realty. He enjoys the great outdoors as a fisherman, hunter, skier and golfer, and has a passion for cooking and gardening.
Straka is a Whitefish native, born in 1985 to Joe and Cindy Straka, who relocated to Montana from the Midwest in the early 1980s. She was raised in Whitefish with her younger brother Sam, attended Whitefish schools and graduated at the top of her class in 2003.
Straka attended college at the University of Notre Dame and graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Longing for the mountains and the familiarity of her hometown, she moved back to Whitefish shortly after finishing college.
Carnival activities continue on Jan. 18 with the coronation of King Ullr LX and Queen of the Snows in downtown Whitefish, followed by a Disco Party at the Great Northern Bar.
Prince Frey and Princess Freya will be crowned Jan. 24 at Whitefish High School between the girls and boys varsity basketball games.
The carnival culminates with a parade and full day of activities on Feb. 8 in downtown Whitefish. For a full schedule go to whitefishwintercarnival.com.
Source: Daily Inter Lake – Local News, Carnival crowns first round of royalty
