Pat Niidas was named Mrs. Kingfield on Friday evening. (Tracy Bessey photo) KINGFIELD — Strong, caring and giving are words that describe all the women who have been named Mrs. Kingfield during the annual Kingfield Festival Days. This year’s nominee is a perfect fit with those chosen over the past 30 years. On Friday night in downtown Kingfield, Pat Niidas was named Mrs. Kingfield 2010.

Niidas, who was born in Hartford, Conn., moved to Kingfield in 1970 with her husband, Fred, and three daughters, Karen, Heidi and Kristy. It was at this time that the couple was blessed with their fourth daughter, Katrina. The move brought Niidas closer to her mother, Edna Judson, who owned and operated Judson’s Motel in Carrabassett Valley.

The Kingfield community was truly lucky to have Niidas move into the area where she has spent much of her time serving as lay-leader for the United Methodist Church, assisting the church pastors with their work and generously giving much of her time to area youth through the church after-school and Sunday school programs. She has been an active member of the United Methodist Church choir and the Kingfield Community Chorus where she has shown her singing talent with her beautiful soprano voice.

See LOTS MORE PHOTOS from Kingfield Days on: wwwtheirregular.com. Photos on this page by Heidi Murphy, Tracy Bessey, Lisa Brackley, Melissa Hupper, Jennifer Thomas and Danielle London. Niidas not only supports her local community, but those outside the area as well. She was very involved in helping a family from war-burdened Cambodia escape a life of poverty and relocate to Kingfield where several of the family’s members still live. The family was assisted by Niidas and other church members with the English language and everyday life in Kingfield. This accomplishment and the Cambodian family are very dear to Niidas’s heart.

Besides the work with the Cambodian family, Niidas and her husband were also sponsors of a young Nicaraguan girl who lived with the family for nine months. The sponsored girl then moved on to earn a college degree and currently works in a law firm helping AIDS victims where Niidas’s generosity is being paid-forward. Without the assistance of Mrs. Kingfield 2010 this young lady may not have ever fulfilled her dreams.

The new Mrs. Kingfield, who spends winters in Florida, loves to read, listen to audio books while she’s walking and spend time with her close friends. She’s described as a wonderful baker who makes delicious cookies for her friends and family.

All of this giving from a woman who on Friday night stood up to thank everyone and said, “I haven’t done a lot for the community.” Residents of Kingfield know that she really has been a great contributor to this area and beyond.