Akey, Twete selected for Whitefish carnival court

The Whitefish Winter Carnival got underway for its 57th year during the annual Merry Maker on Saturday, crowning Prime Minister Joe Akey and Duchess of Lark Brenda Twete who will be part of the carnival’s royal court.

Akey was born to Lin and Kathy Akey in 1980 as the fourth generation of his family to call Whitefish home. He attended Whitefish schools and graduated from Whitefish High School in 1999. After high school he attended the University of Montana.

The teaching career of his wife, Sarah, took them to Ennis, where Akey finalized his degree in business administration at the University of Montana-Western. He spent the next four years as a loan officer at a bank in Ennis before he was afforded an opportunity to come home and work for Tim Murphy State Farm Insurance.

Akey is a former treasurer of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce board and currently is active with the Whitefish High School Booster Club, Whitefish Lions Club, Whitefish Youth Track program and the Watch D.O.G.S program at Muldown Elementary School.

He also volunteers his time as a coach for Little League Baseball and Flathead Valley football teams. Akey and his wife have three children Ashton, 12, Cooper, 8, and Brynley, 5.

Brenda Twete will reign as the Duchess of Lark. She is the daughter of Allen and Anita Simonsen of Billings. She grew up with her four brothers in Glasgow, where she graduated from high school in 1988.

Twete continued her education at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. There she met her future husband, Todd Twete. They married in 1991 and lived in Minneapolis before relocating to Reno, Nevada. In 1996 they welcomed twins McKinley and Peyton.

In 2002, the Twete family spent their summer vacation in the Flathead Valley and fell in love with the area. Within a matter of months they moved to Whitefish. With the twins enrolled in kindergarten, she embarked upon a career as a Realtor.

She currently works for National Parks Realty. Daughter Peyton, who was Princess Freya in 2014, attends Carroll College. Son McKinley attends Flathead Valley Community College and works for Backcountry Woodworking. Todd is vice president of sales for KADENCE, a software provider. In their spare time, Brenda and her family enjoy skiing, hiking, golfing and camping.

This year’s Winter Carnival will have a Super Bowl theme. Carnival action continues Jan. 16 with the coronation of King Ullr LXII and his Queen of the Snows. The carnival culminates the weekend of Feb. 6 with the grand parade and Penguin Plunge.