Princess Emmaline Durrett is the daughter of Heidi Darwood, and sister to Jacqueline Stutzman, 37, Melody Durrett, 28, and Annalise Durrett, 25. Durrett added she has an “honorary sister” and childhood “bestie,” Delilah Baer, 20, who attends all family gatherings.
She chose to fundraise for Meals on Wheels.
“Meals on Wheels serves seniors and disabled community members, offering them hot nutritional meals,” she said. “Serving the people in our community should be our priority.”
In high school, Durrett participated in cross country, track and field, and wrestling, and was a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She has also been involved with Linn County Search and Rescue since 2022. She takes on house sitting and babysitting jobs because they are easy to manage around her school and sports schedules.
Her personal goals for the next school year are to secure scholarships for college and get accepted into a university.
Durrett joined the Sportsman’s Holiday Court “to be a part of our community and be more active in influencing our future generations.”
When asked about her favorite Sportsman’s Holiday tradition, she said, “My family enjoys watching the Sportsman’s Holiday parade and meeting all of the princesses at Tune it Up Tuesday.”
She said the best parade-watching spot is, in her opinion, anywhere shaded by a tree or building. And her best advice for parade watchers? “Bring a good comfy chair, ice water and plenty of snacks.”
Now that she sits on the Holiday Court, Durrett said she’s looking forward to the parades and elementary school visits.
“The elementary visits so far have made the kids very excited and happy,” she said.
If she could meet someone from a different decade and have dinner with them, Durrett said she would like to meet her great-grandmother, Luisa Steiner.
“I would ask her about her experiences during World War II and the bombings, as well as how she handled moving from Germany to the U.S. with a child and knowing no English.”
Going with this year’s Sportsman’s Holiday theme, “Diamonds and Decades,” Durrett was asked which decade she identifies with from a fashion standpoint.
“I would love to travel to the 1920s because they dressed very bougie and elegant,” she responded.
Durrett described how she would showcase Sweet Home to a friend. She said she’d first take them for donuts at Sugar Vibes before heading over to a spot by the lake to watch the sun rise. Then they would hike up Horse Rock Ridge and eat lunch on the way. To cool off, she’d take her friend back to the lake for a swim around Sunnyside.
“My favorite part of living in Sweet Home is having such easy access to Foster Lake and hiking trails because I love nature and exploring.”