Royal treatment begins for carnival

Whitefish crowned the first two members of its annual Winter Carnival royal court at the Merrymaker on Saturday night.

David Filler will serve as prime minister throughout the carnival. Lynn Grossman was crowned duchess of Lark.

FILLER WAS born in Buffalo, N.Y., and grew up in Glen Ellyn, Ill. He moved to Jackson Hole, Wyo., in 1976 to become a ski bum, and a year later began a 20-year career in the geophysical industry that took him to a couple of dozen countries on four continents, including places such as Turkey, Burma and Yemen.

He arrived in the Flathead in 1980 to map mountains, then changed careers in 1999 to pursue his true passion, photography. Filler and his wife, Karie, own Stillwater Photography. He currently serves on the Whitefish Theatre Co. board and plays snare drum for the Montana Highlanders Pipe Band. The Fillers have three children: Lindsay, 19, Keith, 16, and Abbey, 13.

GROSSMAN WAS born and raised in Montana and headed to Glennallen, Alaska, to teach English after graduating from the University of Montana.

She and her husband, Dave, later moved to Juneau, Alaska, where she taught another 19 years. They both retired in 1997 and moved to Whitefish in 2000 with their two children, Seth, a senior, and Mackenzie, a seventh-grader.

Grossman teaches fitness classes at The Wave and is a certified personal trainer. She also is an avid volunteer in classrooms, a past president of the PTA and helps whenever the Whitefish Theatre Co. calls.

THE WINTER Carnival continues Jan. 19 with the coronation of the prince and princess during halftime of the Whitefish High School basketball game. On Jan. 20, King Ullr XLVII and Queen of the Snows will be crowned at the Whitefish Moose Lodge.

Carnival activities culminate the weekend of Feb. 3, when the grand parade, Penguin Plunge, snow-skate and children's carnival are among the many events planned.

For a complete listing of activities, go to www.whitefishwintercarnival.comWhitefish crowned the first two members of its annual Winter Carnival royal court at the Merrymaker on Saturday night.

David Filler will serve as prime minister throughout the carnival. Lynn Grossman was crowned duchess of Lark.

FILLER WAS born in Buffalo, N.Y., and grew up in Glen Ellyn, Ill. He moved to Jackson Hole, Wyo., in 1976 to become a ski bum, and a year later began a 20-year career in the geophysical industry that took him to a couple of dozen countries on four continents, including places such as Turkey, Burma and Yemen.

He arrived in the Flathead in 1980 to map mountains, then changed careers in 1999 to pursue his true passion, photography. Filler and his wife, Karie, own Stillwater Photography. He currently serves on the Whitefish Theatre Co. board and plays snare drum for the Montana Highlanders Pipe Band. The Fillers have three children: Lindsay, 19, Keith, 16, and Abbey, 13.

GROSSMAN WAS born and raised in Montana and headed to Glennallen, Alaska, to teach English after graduating from the University of Montana.

She and her husband, Dave, later moved to Juneau, Alaska, where she taught another 19 years. They both retired in 1997 and moved to Whitefish in 2000 with their two children, Seth, a senior, and Mackenzie, a seventh-grader.

Grossman teaches fitness classes at The Wave and is a certified personal trainer. She also is an avid volunteer in classrooms, a past president of the PTA and helps whenever the Whitefish Theatre Co. calls.

THE WINTER Carnival continues Jan. 19 with the coronation of the prince and princess during halftime of the Whitefish High School basketball game. On Jan. 20, King Ullr XLVII and Queen of the Snows will be crowned at the Whitefish Moose Lodge.

Carnival activities culminate the weekend of Feb. 3, when the grand parade, Penguin Plunge, snow-skate and children's carnival are among the many events planned.

For a complete listing of activities, go to www.whitefishwintercarnival.com