South Dakota 4-H Gala

Keynote Speaker

Callee Bauman Wachter

Callee grew up on a farm near Huron, South Dakota, where her family raised corn, soybeans, wheat, sunflowers, and a menagerie of animals, including hogs, cattle, sheep, and the occasional oddity – like a potbelly pig or a nursery of raccoons. She loves the outdoors and farm life and flourished under the space and ability to grow and thrive in such a nurturing and hands-on environment. She started taking care of a sheep herd at age 14, and from there never shook her love of lambs – or farm life. 

It was this love of agriculture that led her to compete in her first pageant in 2002 as a senior in high school, promoting the benefits of 4-H and value-added agriculture. From there, she fell in love with the Miss America pageant system. In 2006, after 4 years of perseverance and training, she was crowned Miss South Dakota. She competed for Miss America in Las Vegas and was voted a finalist among her peers for Miss Congeniality. She placed in the Top-5 interviews at Miss America and was featured on “Pageant School,” a reality show airing on CMT.

Her involvement has continued within the organization since her crowning. She has since founded the largest local pageant in South Dakota, serving as Executive Director and growing the pageant annually with both participation and scholarship dollars. She especially enjoys cultivating new talent and revitalizing interest in the organization along the way. In fact, she has worked with 14 of the last 16 Miss South Dakotas prior to their reign. She has also been a state judge in 14 different state competitions.

As a performer, some of Callee’s accolades include working in London promoting the jazz music industry and at Walt Disney World in the entertainment division, where she spent her time in a blue gown and glass slippers. Further, she’s an accomplished vocalist, winning the Disney World Talent Showcase and has released her own music video, CD, and CD single. She has performed throughout the United States and internationally at London’s Café de Paris. For 10 years she has served as an entertainer at the Miss South Dakota competition. Today she still performs throughout South Dakota and also nightly at home, rocking her 6 children to sleep. 

Callee is a communications graduate from South Dakota State University and an advocate for the agriculture community. As Miss South Dakota, she promoted the use of ethanol, wrote value-added agriculture curriculum for K-12 students that was distributed through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and authored a children’s book about ethanol. For the past 15 years Callee has worked in agriculture. She has worked in risk management, as a technology and efficient consultant, and today works in sales and marketing with a focus on progressive and sustainable ag practices with her husband and family at Bauman Agency. She can also be found volunteering for the 4-H program while she and her husband, Jonathan, farm, growing corn and soybeans. 

Callee is an avid Disney fan and could be found at Walt Disney World in a blue gown and glass slippers. She has always had a variety of interests, and today, she dabbles in several businesses with her husband, from real estate investing to life coaching. She has always had a flair for the creative, involving herself in event planning, South Dakota State Fair floral and table design, and as the Executive Director of her area’s Destination Imagination Program. She also loves to travel and immerse herself in new places and adventures, like sky diving, cliff diving, and surfing. Her greatest adventures to date involve her 6 children: Charleston (13), Georgia (11), Evangeline (7), Margo Vivienne (6), Daschle (4), and Cavanaugh (5 months). She and her family reside in Huron, South Dakota.

Entertainment

Rock It Man Entertainment is a premier choice for live music, comedy, and entertainment and will be providing a fun evening of Dueling Pianos. This show promises an unforgettable interactive experience of music and comedy. Rocket It Man works with some of the most experienced entertainers in the industry and is based out of the Twin Cities.