First round of royalty: Walrath, Ray

 The Whitefish Winter Carnival crowned its first round of royalty Saturday night at the Merry Maker event, naming Linda Ray the Duchess of Lark and Luke Walrath the carnival’s prime minister.

Ray, a Livingston native, moved to the Flathead Valley in 1987 with her husband, Randy. They raised two children, Chelsea and Randy Jr. 

Ray has worked at the Whitefish Lake Restaurant for the last 20 years.

She currently serves on the board of the Norby Junior Golf Foundation and enjoys helping out with any and all things that benefit the community.

Walrath has lived in Whitefish since 2002. Prior to that, he lived in New York City, where he performed in the Tony Award-winning revival of “42nd Street” on Broadway. 

He also performed in the Broadway national tour of “The Sound of Music” with Richard Chamberlain, where he met his wife, Betsi Morrison. He has performed as an actor, singer and dancer on three continents, including a stint singing for U.S. soldiers across Europe. 

He co-founded Alpine Theatre Project, a nationally recognized nonprofit professional theater company in Whitefish, and serves as its director of marketing and fund development.

Walrath serves on the board of directors for the Whitefish Convention and Visitor Bureau and the Glacier Country Regional Tourism Commission. He also volunteers with numerous nonprofits in the Flathead Valley. He and his wife live in Whitefish with their twin sons, Gabriel and Elijah. 

The Whitefish Winter Carnival celebrates a theme of “America the Beautiful” this year and will honor veterans throughout the month-long carnival.

Carnival events continue Jan. 17 with the coronation of King Ullr LVI and his Queen of the Snows; a disco party follows the coronation at the Great Northern Bar.