Gullixon to reign over Winter Carnival
Sophie Gullixon has been chosen Queen of the Snows for the Iola Winter Carnival, slated for Friday through Sunday, Feb. 1-3..
Her court includes Makenna Brown, Haley Ullom, Emily Wolfgram and Payton Wester.
Gullixon was born and raised in the Iola-Scandinavia area.
“It means a lot to me to be part of such a huge event in our community because so many people look forward to this event every year,” Gullixon stated. “When I was younger I wanted to become an Iola Winter Carnival princess because I looked up to them.”
“The winter carnival is such a great tradition because it brings the whole community together,” she said. “The Winter Carnival also reminds us of where we came from and how we ended up in Iola.”
Her goal as queen is to “make sure the community is involved by spreading information about the Iola Winter Carnival to people of all ages in the community.”
For many years, Gullixon has volunteered as a waitress at the annual Norwegian Lutefisk Supper. “I always have the willingness to help others and Iam always very appreciative towards the people that help me from time to time,” she said.
Gullixon works at the I-S Community Fitness and Aquatic Center, teaching swimming lessons and serving as a lifeguard. In the summer she work at Shivers, the ice cream shop in Iola. She also enjoys volunteering at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and Share-A-Tea in Iola.
The queen will be officially crowned at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, during the Norwegian Lutefisk Supper at the Iola-Scandinavia High School.