Carnival 2018: Raper named Prime, Skinner crowned Duchess

The first royalty of the 59th annual Whitefish Winter Carnival has been announced.

Jeff Raper was named Prime Minister and Stephanie Skinner the new Duchess of Lark during the Merry Maker Saturday night at the Whitefish Moose Lodge.

Raper was born in 1963 in Bend, Oregon.

He moved to Whitefish with his family in 1977 after his parents purchased the Mount View Motel. It consisted of seven cabins and Whitefish’s only indoor swimming pool. Raper played on the 1979 Bulldog state championship football team. He graduated from Whitefish High School in 1981.

Raper left Whitefish after graduation to attend the University of Montana, followed by three years as a ski bum in Oregon. He had a seven-year retail management career with JCPenney that took him to Idaho and Utah. Missing home and remembering the fun he had growing up here, Raper decided to move back to Whitefish in 1992, when raising a family of his own became a priority.

For the past 20 years Raper has been active in the real estate industry. He is currently one of the managing partners in National Parks Realty. Over the past 26 years, Raper has been active in coaching youth sports. He served on the board for Whitefish Youth Soccer, Project Whitefish, the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, and both the local and regional real estate multiple listing service boards.

“I love this place and all the opportunities it offers, I can’t imagine living anywhere else,” he said.

Skinner grew up in Minnesota in a suburb just outside of Minneapolis and always enjoyed outdoor activities, spending her summers waterskiing and playing tennis and softball.

Learning to ski at 5-years-old, on the so-called “hills” of Minnesota and Wisconsin, she found a passion for winter sports. After high school, she attended the University of North Dakota. She later worked in Yellowstone National Park. In the summer of 1996, Skinner took a trip with friends to hike in Glacier National Park and discovered Whitefish.

The magic of the town took hold and she immediately knew this is where she belonged. She returned to Whitefish seven days later with all of her belongings in tow to stay for good. In 2001, Skinner obtained her real estate license and specializes in real estate at Whitefish Mountain Resort as an associate with Glacier Sotheby’s International Realty.

Skinner married the love of her life, Tony Spear this past August in Whitefish. In the winter’s you can usually find them on the mountain and in the summer, it’s not uncommon to find them camping along a river somewhere in the Valley with their golden retriever, Leo.

Carnival festivities continue Saturday, Jan. 13 with the coronation of King Ullr LIX and the Queen of the Snows at 5 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center downtown. A disco party is planned the same evening.

Princess Freya and Prince Frey will be named during half-time at the Bulldogs basketball game on Jan. 20 at Whitefish High School.

Skijoring is planned Jan. 27-28.

The main carnival events take place Feb. 2-3 including the Penguin Plunge, a pie social and Grand Parade. This year’s theme is “Fly Like An Eagle.”

For a complete list of activities, go to whitefishwintercarnival.com.