by Grand Duke Lynnette

What is it really like to hold your first title in the Imperial Court of All Alaska? A few weeks before the step-down Ducal Ball, Fairbanks Grand Duke Lynnette wrote a list of lessons she learned during the year as Duke of Fairbanks. Although it’s specific to her reign, many of the lessons are true for titleholders in general.

Things I have learned this year as Grand Duke XVIII

1. There is more to these events than just Drag queens and Divas. A lot of hard work goes into planning just one freaking event!!!!
2. Things go much smoother when you ask for help.
3. Michael Bartels is not just the man that takes money at the door. He is the HUB of the Fairbanks community and he is one of the main reasons I have had an amazing reign.
4. TEAM has no I in it, Kara and I have an amazing committee that has really been our work horses. Without these ladies we would not have been able to raise so much money.
5. When someone tells me “you can’t do that” haha…. I really can and did!!!
6. There is a way to get more people involved in the LGBT community if you make it fun and your event is planned from the heart.
7. Some people like to talk sh*t, stir sh*t, and make sh*t. Then they walk away leaving you with a handful of SH*T…. I like to rub that in their faces and walk away. Wash my hands and end up smelling like roses.
8. The past and history of the ICOAA is important but it is also important to make a future. What worked for Fairbanks in the 90’s worked in the 90’s. It’s 2011 and things change.
9. I have gained confidence, I have the ability to lead (and people actually follow), and I have learned that some rules can be bent and others are meant to be broken.
10. You actually can fit 14 drags queens and divas in a 3 bedroom house.
11. My hot tub fits 12 people not 6.
12. I can’t perform with a hot girl friend because all I do is watch her dance…. forgetting every move we planned.
13. Rainbow Mohawks get chics…… lmao
14. Gay boys make for the most fun.
15. Kristofer is more than just a hottie in underwear, he is a hottie that creeped into my heart and is a true genuine friend.
16. It is possible to talk your way out of something when you get pulled over by a state trooper. Especially if you have two gays boys, a suitcase, and a smooth talking southern girl in the driver’s seat!! LMAO
17. You can’t please everyone all of the time but you can please most of them some of the time.
18. Everyone will criticize you when you are in the spotlight, it’s how you handle it that sets you aside from everyone else.
19. Not everyone can handle my honesty, me being blunt, or me being a builder. I am happy with who I am. Those who like me stay, those who don’t have gone. I have no regret.
20. There are several people from Anchorage who have supported me through all of this. Those few people I am thankful for. They make things happen, they keep a promise, and I am forever in their debt.
21. Last but not least… I have learned patience, tolerance, and I have learned when to walk away. This year has been amazing in more ways than one. I have learned that my community loves me. We have broken attendance records, hopefully we will still get close to beating Michael’s record, we have brought people together, helped in the making of several amazing couples, and we have had fun doing it.

Thanks to Lynnette for giving us permission to post her insightful list of lessons. Bent Alaska wishes Grand Duke Lynnette and Duchess Kara an awesome record-breaking step down, and thanks them for a fantastic year in Fairbanks!