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Wissman musician crowned Miss Sweet 16
The youngest of the Wissman family earned Miss Sweet 16
MT. PLEASANT — Monday morning, a new Miss Sweet 16 court took center stage under the family tent at Midwest Old Threshers.
According to Midwest Old Threshers website, “Each of the contestants is judged on their volunteerism, a presentation along with an interview, knowledge of Old Threshers, and their overall hospitality.”
Longtime Midwest Old Threshers attendee, Charissa Wissman of Milford Nebraska took home the title of 2023 Midwest Old Threshers Miss Sweet 16.
“I guess I kind of hoped that maybe I would get miss Volunteer first or second runner-up, but honestly, the idea of possibly getting Miss Suite 16 was never even an option in my mind,” Wissman shared. “so when everybody else got announced and it came down to the Miss Suite 16 title, I was thinking, like, there's no way. And then she started explaining different things about the winner, and it was like, wait a minute, that's me.”
“She is kind of popular on the grounds because she and her family have had many hours of volunteering out here,” Miss Sweet 16 Coordinator Danielle Davidson slyly said referencing all the time Wissman spends performing gospel music with The Wissman Family at Old Threshers each year.
It was at this point that Wissman started considering that Davidson might be talking about her.
As consist Midwest Old Threshers musical performers, The Wissman Family is well known on the grounds and several of her older sisters also participated in previous Miss Sweet 16 contests, but Charissa is the first to ever win.
Charissa Wissman is the youngest of 13 children in her family and performs with her parents and some of her siblings as part of The Wissman Family.
She plays the recorder and sings lead and high tenor.
“She is a very graceful soul,” Davidson described. “She just is grace and she had such a fantastic interview. You can tell that she has talked to a lot of people and that she's had a lot of experience.
“That's really how our Miss Week 16 bubbles up to the top is because when the more you're involved out there in your community and out there in school or church or wherever, you just keep gaining experience,” she said.
Davidson mentioned the winning candidate being put on the spot to sing Happy Birthday to a random group of people in the bingo area, but by this point, Wissman says everything became a blur.
Described as “very hard working,” Megan Lee of New London received first runner-up.
Kaylee Knerr of Brighton as second runner-up after Davidson stated she “did a fabulous job going above and beyond helping two young ladies look for their phone for over an hour on her personal time.”
Mt. Pleasant High School student Alexa Fuller received the honor of Miss Volunteer thanks to achieving the highest score from six secret judges observing contestants’ volunteerism throughout the weekend.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com
