55th Annual German-American Steuben Parade Of NY Announces Miss German-America 2012 And Her Court

NEW YORK, May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The German-American Steuben Parade Committee of NYC is proud to announce the selection of the new Miss German-America And Her Court 2012!  Kirsten Mueller, resident of Dix Hills, NY and Pre-Vet student at the University of Delaware, is the new Miss German-America 2012!  Come September 15th, Miss Mueller will be riding the German-American Steuben Parade "Queen's Float" on Fifth Avenue along with her court, which includes two princesses: Elise Wilkinson of Wallingford, CT and  Kyra Schugt, a resident of Brooklyn, NY.   Miss Wilkinson is a Law Student at Quinnipiac University School of Law, while Miss Schugt, a former Fulbright scholar, is an Art Teacher in the NYC Public School system. All three members of the court are fluent in German. They are perfect representatives of the rich German-American heritage and culture.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120524/DC13041)

This year's pageant took place in a ceremony held at Hofbrau Bierhaus NYC in Manhattan, on Saturday afternoon, May 19.  A packed house witnessed a pageant that included 6 contestants running for the title. The winner received a $3,000 scholarship, while each of the two princesses received a $1,000 scholarship. The ladies were all interviewed by a panel of 6 judges, after which, the audience was introduced to each contestant and asked to cast a vote for the Queen!   

Three hundred people were present for the pageant and ceremony, including Hon. Daniel J Halloran III, NYC Councilman for the 19th District in Queens. Councilman Halloran sent official greetings from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was unable to attend. Also present was former German Ice Figure Skating World Champion Norbert Schrumm, originally from Bavaria, now living in Manhattan.       

Aside from crowning Miss German-America, the Parade Committee introduced a Junior General and 4 Junior Princesses for 2012: Lukas Messing of  New York, NY; Sofia Starache and Heidi Froehlich of Mahopac, NY; Brooke Hubert of Oceanside, NY; Emilie Siering of Syosset, NY. 

Departing Queen Denise Manukian remembers:  "It's been such a whirlwind of activities.  I'm so proud that I was able to represent the German-American culture in such a unique way.  I look forward to many more parades to come and more opportunities to showcase my pride."

For more information on the German-American Steuben Parade, taking place September 15, 2012, see our website:  www.germanparadenyc.org

SOURCE German-American Steuben Parade