BOUNTIFUL—Every little girl dreams of being Cinderella, dressed in a beautiful gown riding in her carriage with Prince Charming. For Katie Loynd, a 30-year-old with Down syndrome, that dream is coming true at the Bountiful Handcart Days parade July 20. 

Thanks to Lara Wasserlein of Crown Up Productions, Katie will ride in a horse drawn carriage owned by Lamar Taylor, surrounded by coachmen, the King, Grand Duke, Stepmother, Fairy Godmother and even the mouse, all costumed by Wasserlein.

“Every character will be with her in the parade,” said Wasserlein. “Her nieces will be dressed up as princesses and hand out candy.”

It was going to be a Make-a-Wish dream come true for Katie, Wasserlein said. “I was friends with her mom who was a single mom with nine kids. A few weeks ago her mother died. It was hard, Katie had to be shuffled between siblings.”

Katie Loynd, a 30-year-old with Down syndrome will ride in a horse drawn carriage as Cinderella in the Bountiful Handcart Days parade. Photos courtesy of Wasserlein

Wasserlein decided to move ahead with the plan and created costumes for all of the characters. “I had the idea of the princess parade. I became the Fairy Godmother because that was the part Katie’s mother had been going to play. It’s going to be pretty magical.”

This isn’t the first time Wasserlein has been involved with charity work, she was a professional cosplayer dressed as Wonder Woman and visited hospitals and shelters in Las Vegas. “Since I was 4 I knew I wanted to be Wonder Woman when I grew up. My stage name was Viva,” she said. “I was quite famous. I modeled for studios and had a costume business. I did a ton of charity work making crafts in shelters and going to baseball games for the special needs group called Heartfelt Heroes.”

Her costume business was selling in 14 different countries, said Wasserlein. “That’s how I met Katie’s mom. She was sewing for the costume company.”

In 2018 Wasserlein went through a divorce and left Las Vegas and came back to Bountiful to be near family. “I was established in Las Vegas but here I had to start rebuilding my costume business and charity work,” she said. “I’m doing tea parties and motivational speaking to let little girls meet the Fairy Godmother. I give them a mirror to touch and look at themselves so they can see their full potential. It’s really fun.”

Crown Up just held a fundraiser to raise money to cover some of the expenses for Katie’s Make-A-Wish. “It covers some travel expenses and some of the costuming. This is our first fundraiser. So far I’ve just funded it myself. I would save a portion of my paycheck when I was a single mom.”

It’s a full-time job but Wasserlein said she loves creating happy events. “It lets people use their imagination to be anybody they want to be. Sometimes I wonder, ‘does the Fairy Godmother ever sleep?’”

Wonder Woman was just one person, but this parade for Katie involves more of the community, she said. “Instead of just me on the float it gives others a chance to shine. It allows them to be a kid for the day. It’s a chance to put real life aside for those who never lost their fun kid imagination of being a character.”

Wasserlein said the best part of being involved in charity work is trying to make a difference in the world. “I want to inspire the next generation and make others happy. This might make my dreams come true too.”