Loni McNertney - Mrs. Iowa-America 2009

Loni McNertney of Algona, Iowa was crowned Mrs. Iowa-America on June 6, 2009 at the historic Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. The pageant consisted of three areas of competition, including personal interview with a panel of judges, swimwear fitness, and evening gown. Loni was also awarded “best in evening gown”.

Loni began her journey to the crown following some encouragement from her husband Tim. They are celebrating over two years of marriage, and she is the proud parent of three children, Savanah, Sydney and Sam. Her children are very active in athletic programs and she watching their involvement with sports. The McNertney family also takes trips to Colorado for skiing and snowboarding annually. She is the daughter of Maxine Hale of east-central Illinois, and is the youngest of six children.

As a salon owner of Tangles Salon in Algona, Loni keeps very busy balancing career and family, as well as her community service projects. “Being a stylist has been a career that is an incredible blend of my many interests,” she adds, referring to her fine arts background and interest in Psychology. “I am a people person and making others feel confident and beautiful is fulfilling for me”, she says. She has extensive training in hair color and has 8 years of experience with hair extensions. Loni has been involved with doing make-up for theater, weddings, print and pageants. Loni has been a stylist and make-up artist for 15 years and has been a salon owner for over 11 years.

Loni is involved with several community organizations, including a mentoring program offered through her local YMCA. The Y-Pal program through Algona YMCA has been matching adult mentors with youth in her community. “What an excellent experience for both the adult and child,” she adds. She spends time doing creative projects with her pal, such as drawing and painting. Loni’s Y-pal, Kayla, enjoys the animals at her in-laws family farm. “Exposing Kayla to farming and agriculture in a fun way is a memorable experience for a child that lives in town,” she adds. Loni was previously involved with Big Brother Big Sisters as well. Loni is also an active member of a local chapter of P.E.O International. P.E.O is a philanthropical education fundraising organization founded in Iowa. The main purpose of the organization is fundraising to offer scholarships to women for continuing their college education. “I love the social aspects of this group of professional women and any work that we do to raise funds has always ben such an enriching and fun experience,” she adds. Other groups that she participates in include, Habitat for Humanity, Algona Garden club, and Algona Chamber of Commerce, in which she is involved with a special events planning committee helping to create and improve marketing strategies for local businesses.

Loni’s platform, Teen Safety and Technology, is focused on emphasizing safer activity on the computer for teens, as well as safer cellular texting practices. Besides abstaining from using social websites, parents must educate teens of the many dangers of using the internet, and teens must use discretion to avoid “marketing” themselves in potentially unsafe manners on the internet. She also discusses and shares her insights on cellular texting activities, and the negative effects that it can have on teens. Loni will inform parents and teens about the negative effects that “text-addiction” can have on a student’s performance in the classroom, grammar and writing skills, as well as attention issues. Texting while driving is a new danger for teens and is becoming a leading cause of death. In the least, texting can be extremely distracting to our youth.

If you are interested in contacting Mrs. Iowa you may do so at MrsIowa2009@yahoo.com or you can follow Loni’s journey at her blog: MrsIowa2009.blogspot.com.

 

The 2010 Mrs. Iowa-America Pageant

The 2010 Mrs. Iowa Pageant will be the Fourth Annual Triple Crowning Event, as Mrs. Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will all be crowned on the same stage, on June 4th and 5th, 2010, at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Loni McNertney (Mrs. Iowa-America 2009), Mrs. Minnesota-America 2009, and Mrs. Wisconsin-America 2009 will all be on-hand to crown their successors. Several current and former titleholders from across the country are also expected in attendance.

Numerous prizes will be awarded, including air and hotel accommodations to the Mrs. American Pageant, a full scholarship to Premiere Modeling School in Minneapolis, and personal fitness consultations.

For more information, or to obtain an application and to purchase tickets to the competition, contact Faith and Carl Schway, Directors at (651) 454-2513 or premieremodeling@hotmail.com.

City and county titles may be reserved on a first entrance basis.