Welch, Akey to reign over Carnival crowns

 Lin Akey and Anita Welch will reign over the Whitefish Winter Carnival as activities continue through Feb. 8 in Whitefish.

The couple were crowned Saturday during a ceremony in downtown Whitefish.

Akey will rule as King Ullr LVI, the mythical Norsk god around whom the carnival lore was created. He has strong ties to the Winter Carnival. He was co-chairman of the event in the late 1970s and served as the carnival’s prime minister decades ago.

Akey has spent the past 28 years in the finance and banking industry and has been the branch president of Glacier Bank in Whitefish for seven years.

Community service has been a focus for Akey. He has been involved in numerous boards and committees including the Whitefish City Council, North Valley Hospital, founding member of the Whitefish resort tax, Whitefish Legacy Partners, Rotary, Whitefish Community Foundation, the Whitefish Historical Society and the Whitefish Food Bank. 

Akey has also chaired many fundraisers and emceed numerous philanthropic events, most recently the past few ALERT banquets.

Lin married his high school sweetheart, Kathy Preuninger, in 1973. They have three sons and eight grandchildren.

Welch, named Queen of the Snows, is no stranger to the Whitefish Winter Carnival, either. 

She got started in the carnival by dressing up as a mountain goat for the festivities in the early 1990s, then progressed to portraying a “Rainier Bear” and a “Klumzy Klown” as she joined in the effort to sell carnival buttons throughout the valley. 

She was chosen as the first female prime minister in 2000. Welch also served on the carnival board of directors for several years and received the carnival’s highest honor, the High Ullr Award, in 2009.

A native of San Gabriel, California, she graduated from Los Angeles State College with a degree in anthropology. She moved to the Flathead Valley in 1972. For the past 18 years she has been a member service representative for Whitefish Credit Union.

Welch and her husband, Jim, have three grown children and three grandchildren.

Carnival activities continue Jan. 24-25 with skijoring competition at the Whitefish Airport. 

The carnival culminates the weekend of Feb. 7 with the Penguin Plunge, grand parade and other events.