Little Miss Inver Grove Heights

Inver Grove Heights, a city in the Southeast metro is bordered on the East by the Mississippi River and the Luther Nissan Kia dealership that is perched on the hill to the North. Every September the community celebrates Inver Grove Heights Days which includes a treasure hunt, a street dance, parade, fireworks, and the coveted Little Miss Inver Grove Heights. 

This past summer, Luther Nissan Kia sponsored 9-year-old Nora DeMarre throughout her journey as she competed for Little Miss Inver Grove Heights. This was the first year Jennifer DeMarre’s daughter ran for candidacy. “Luther has been a parade sponsor of the Little Miss Scholarship Program for a long time. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to have Nora run since she seemed excited about the events related to the candidacy,” said Controller Jennifer DeMarre. Typically, each participant is placed with a sponsor each year, but since Jennifer works at Luther Nissan Kia, Nora was able to have the dealership be her sponsor. 

Throughout the summer, the nine girls who competed would regularly visit their sponsors, take etiquette classes, and participate in various community service projects for charities like Feed My Starving Children and Angels in the Outfield. Judges would often come to these events to help them determine who would be the best ambassador for Inver Grove Heights. The girls would be judged on how well they interacted with others at various events and their overall stage presence.

The coronation was held on September 9th during the Inver Grove Heights Days. The day started with the annual parade in which all the girls participated, followed by the official crowning. “Nora had a great time competing this year and we’re lucky that Luther Nissan Kia was able to be her sponsor,” said Jennifer DeMarre. Although Nora did not win this year, she’s looking forward to running again next year for the Inver Grove Heights Little Miss title.