Whitefish crowned its first round of Winter Carnival royalty on Saturday night, naming Josh Akey the new prime minister and Alicia Blake the Duchess of Lark.

They will be joined by the new King Ullr and Queen of the Snows to be crowned on Jan. 19.

Akey is a financial planner and branch manager at Raymond James Financial Services, where he has built on the success of his father, Lin Akey, in making the branch one of the top 30 offices in the country.

Akey was born in Missoula and moved to Whitefish at age 3 after his parents finished their education at The University of Montana. His family has called Whitefish home for generations, with his grandfather and great-grandfather also hailing from Whitefish.

He currently serves on the boards for the North Valley Hospital Foundation, Bulldog Booster Club, Friends of the Whitefish Library and the E.A. Hinderman Foundation. He and his wife, Jaci, have two children, Anna and Wyatt.

Blake was born and raised in Dallas. She attended San Marcos Baptist Academy, where she was a cheerleader and mascot for the SMA Bears.

After graduating in 1981 she started working for her father, Bob Hayes, at Bob Hayes Chevrolet. Blake began in the parts department and quickly moved up the ladder, becoming a rental agent for Avis Rent a Car.

Her grandfather had acquired the Avis Rent a Car franchise for Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin in 1947 from Warren Avis. For 16 years she worked as a manager, convention sales representative, bookkeeper and insurance representative.

Blake met her husband-to-be, Rick, on a blind date in January 1988. They moved to Whitefish in 1999 and have two children, Abigail and Tucker.

Blake has been a standout actress, performing with the Whitefish Theatre Company, Alpine Theatre Project and the newly established Stumptown Players through the years. She’s also an active civic leader in Whitefish.