Princess Kay of the Milky Way

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Katie Miron, Princess Kay of the Milky Way, 2010, was a 19-year-old student at the University of Minnesota. Princess Kay-20100830-crop.JPG
Katie Miron, Princess Kay of the Milky Way, 2010, was a 19-year-old student at the University of Minnesota.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way is the title awarded to the winner of the statewide Minnesota Dairy Princess Program, an annual competition organized by the Midwest Dairy Association. During her one-year term, the Princess Kay of the Milky Way serves as official good-will ambassador for the Minnesota dairy industry. The Princess is crowned every year at the Minnesota State Fair, and receives a scholarship. The crowning of Princess Kay annually garners statewide as well as national media coverage. [2]

Contents

The competition was the idea of Lew Conlon, who managed the Minnesota Dairy Industry Committee. [2] The name "Princess Kay of the Milky Way" was selected from over 10,000 entries in a 1954 contest to name the Minnesota dairy princess. [3]

Princess Program

2010 Princess Kay of the Milky Way sits for a butter sculptor at the Minnesota State Fair PrincessKay.jpg
2010 Princess Kay of the Milky Way sits for a butter sculptor at the Minnesota State Fair

Individual counties in Minnesota may select Dairy Princesses who meet the eligibility requirements listed below. These Princesses may then advance to the Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists competition held each spring. Of the nearly 100 princesses in the competition, 10 finalists are selected, and are then required to take on public relations roles at the Minnesota State Fair. The new Princess Kay is selected just before the State Fair, and the coronation takes place the night before the State Fair opens. The crowned Princess Kay then makes numerous media and public appearances during the Fair's 12 days and throughout the coming year on behalf of Minnesota dairy farmers.

Contestants must be U.S. citizens, and their parents, guardians, or siblings must be actively involved in the production of dairy products. They must also have completed a high school education, be under the age of 24, and be unmarried with no children. Candidates are judged on "communication skills, personality, general knowledge of the dairy industry and its products, and their commitment to dairy promotion." [4]

Butter sculptures

Since 1965, sculptures of the winning Princess Kay and other finalists have been carved, one per day, at the Minnesota State Fair. Recent butter sculptures have been carved out of a 90-pound block of Grade A butter, in a walk-in, glass-walled refrigerator. The butter is manufactured by Associated Milk Producers in New Ulm, Minnesota. The butter carving booth is one of the most popular exhibits at the Fair. The carving of the butter sculpture takes 6–8 hours per finalist. For nearly 40 years, Linda Christensen has sculpted the Princesses' butter sculptures. Princesses take their butter sculpture home with them at the end of the Fair. [5]

Princesses

YearNameCountyTown
1954Eleanor Maley Thatcher Mower County Grand Meadow
1955Ruth Marie Peterson Faber Mower County Lansing
1956Barbara Bossus Bohrer Crow Wing County Brainerd
1957Judy Merritt Dakota County Lakeville
1958Diane Schroeder Dunn Polk County Fertile
1959Betty Jax Cole Mower County Adams
1960Marilyn Christianson Styve Freeborn County Corning
1961Diane Kramer Nobles County Worthington
1962Kathy Hjelle Martens Marshall County Argyle
1963Audrey Meyer Carlsen Freeborn County Clarks Grove
1964Karen Bracken Geier Lincoln County Verdi
1965Mary Ann Titrud Springer Todd County Clarissa
1966Linda Kottke McLeod County Glencoe
1967Carla Rae Larson Moll Lyon County Minneota
1968Linda Louwagie Brisbane Lyon County Marshall
1969Janelle Gatzke Hahn Fillmore County Preston
1970Gayle Krogstad Solum Norman County Ada
1971Mary Ann Glawe Hardy Becker County Detroit Lakes
1972Madge Stapleton Johnson Houston County Caledonia
1973Lori Anshus Redmer Yellow Medicine County Canby
1974Juliet Tessmer Garbow Hennepin County Rogers
1975Wanda Ponto Sackter Kanabec County Mora
1976Kathy Zeman Steele County Owatonna
1977Beth Aarsvold Olson Winona County Peterson
1978Kari Schroht Reuvers Steele County Owatonna
1979Tamara Pennings Goehring Kandiyohi County Blomkest
1980Jean Lindig Kessler Pine County Pine City
1981Jill Jensen Douglas Martin County East Chain
1982Janet Forner Bosch Carver County Chaska
1983Lisa Schaffer Coyne Dakota County Cannon Falls
1984Barbara Bianchi Clayton Nicollet County Gibbon
1985Stephanie Dickey Bjella Clearwater County Leonard
1986Yvonne Moerke Devito Grant County Ashby
1987Amy Polikowsky Mesenburg Olmsted County Byron
1988Marie Dick Cottonwood County Bingham Lake
1989Katie Scott Johnson Otter Tail County Battle Lake
1990Beth Mesenbring-Mastre Carver County Cologne
1991Julie Felger Mulford Kanabec County Mora
1992Bridget Hendrickson Jacobson Fillmore County Preston
1993Ann Erickson Gibbs Otter Tail County Battle Lake
1994Julie Sauber Antonutti Dakota County Lakeville
1995Kimberly Mallery Gusick Chisago County Shafer
1996Kristi Ann Pettis Osterlund Sibley County Winthrop
1997Kari Skiba Stanek Anoka/Isanti North Branch
1998Jenny Kinnunen Schlauderaff Wadena County Menahga
1999Renae Jorgens Gebhart Yellow Medicine County Boyd
2000Bridget Hollermann Klein Pope County Farewell
2001Kelsey Olson Fillmore County Spring Valley
2002Sarah Olson Schmidt McLeod County Hutchinson
2003Tae Vander Kooi Nordby Nobles County Worthington
2004Christina Rettmann Renville County Buffalo Lake
2005Rebekah Dammann Reuter McLeod County Lester Prairie
2006Audrey Mohr Brown County New Ulm
2007Ann Miron Washington County Hugo
2008Kristy Mussman Steele County Claremont
2009Elizabeth Olson McLeod County Hutchinson
2010Katie Miron Washington County Hugo
2011Mary Zahurones Morrison County Pierz
2012Christine Reitsma Stearns County Sauk Centre
2013MarJenna McWilliam Koehler Polk County Winger
2014Jeni Haler Carver County Norwood Young America
2015Kyla Mauk Wright County Howard Lake
2016Haley Hinrichs Goodhue County Goodhue
2017Emily Annexstad Nicollet County St. Peter
2018Rebekka Paskewitz Todd County Browerville
2019Amy Kyllo Olmsted County Byron
2020Brenna Connelly Olmsted County Byron [6]
2021Anna Euerle Meeker County Litchfield
2022Rachel Rynda LeSueur County Montgomery [7]
2023Emma Kuball Rice County Waterville [8]
2024Rachel Visser McLeod County Hutchinson [9]

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References

  1. "Katie Miron of Hugo named 57th Princess Kay of the Milky Way". Pioneer Press. Media News Group. August 25, 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Marling, Karal Ann (1990). Blue Ribbon: A Social and Pictorial History of the Minnesota State Fair. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press. pp. 136–137. ISBN   978-0-87351-252-7.
  3. Baranauckas, Carla (August 27, 2005). "Minnesota State Fair Journal; A Dairy Queen, Oops, Princess, in All Her Buttery Glory". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2023. after the official title Princess Kay of the Milky Way was chosen from 10,000 entries in a statewide contest
  4. "Midwest Dairy Association". Archived from the original on 2007-06-14. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  5. Mincer, Jilian (August 26, 2010). "When It Comes to Butter Carving, There's No Margarine for Error". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  6. "University of Minnesota student from Byron, Minn., named next Princess Kay". Star Tribune .
  7. "Minnesota New Princess Kay of the Milky Way Crowned". Star Tribune .
  8. "2023 Princess Kay of the Milky Way crowned". Star Tribune . August 23, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  9. "McLeod County woman crowned 2024 Princess Kay of the Milky Way". KSTP . August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.