Princess Kay of the Milky Way

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]

Young woman wearing sleeveless black and white print dress, smiling and waving in a parade. Sign in front of her says Princess Kay of the Milky Way
Katie Miron, Princess Kay of the Milky Way, 2010, was a 19-year-old student at the University of Minnesota.[1]

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

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 ThatcherMower CountyGrand Meadow
1955Ruth Marie Peterson FaberMower CountyLansing
1956Barbara Bossus BohrerCrow Wing CountyBrainerd
1957Judy MerrittDakota CountyLakeville
1958Diane Schroeder DunnPolk CountyFertile
1959Betty Jax ColeMower CountyAdams
1960Marilyn Christianson StyveFreeborn CountyCorning
1961Diane KramerNobles CountyWorthington
1962Kathy Hjelle MartensMarshall CountyArgyle
1963Audrey Meyer CarlsenFreeborn CountyClarks Grove
1964Karen Bracken GeierLincoln CountyVerdi
1965Mary Ann Titrud SpringerTodd CountyClarissa
1966Linda KottkeMcLeod CountyGlencoe
1967Carla Rae Larson MollLyon CountyMinneota
1968Linda Louwagie BrisbaneLyon CountyMarshall
1969Janelle Gatzke HahnFillmore CountyPreston
1970Gayle Krogstad SolumNorman CountyAda
1971Mary Ann Glawe HardyBecker CountyDetroit Lakes
1972Madge Stapleton JohnsonHouston CountyCaledonia
1973Lori Anshus RedmerYellow Medicine CountyCanby
1974Juliet Tessmer GarbowHennepin CountyRogers
1975Wanda Ponto SackterKanabec CountyMora
1976Kathy ZemanSteele CountyOwatonna
1977Beth Aarsvold OlsonWinona CountyPeterson
1978Kari Schroht ReuversSteele CountyOwatonna
1979Tamara Pennings GoehringKandiyohi CountyBlomkest
1980Jean Lindig KesslerPine CountyPine City
1981Jill Jensen DouglasMartin CountyEast Chain
1982Janet Forner BoschCarver CountyChaska
1983Lisa Schaffer CoyneDakota CountyCannon Falls
1984Barbara Bianchi ClaytonNicollet CountyGibbon
1985Stephanie Dickey BjellaClearwater CountyLeonard
1986Yvonne Moerke DevitoGrant CountyAshby
1987Amy Polikowsky MesenburgOlmsted CountyByron
1988Marie DickCottonwood CountyBingham Lake
1989Katie Scott JohnsonOtter Tail CountyBattle Lake
1990Beth Mesenbring-MastreCarver CountyCologne
1991Julie Felger MulfordKanabec CountyMora
1992Bridget Hendrickson JacobsonFillmore CountyPreston
1993Ann Erickson GibbsOtter Tail CountyBattle Lake
1994Julie Sauber AntonuttiDakota CountyLakeville
1995Kimberly Mallery GusickChisago CountyShafer
1996Kristi Ann Pettis OsterlundSibley CountyWinthrop
1997Kari Skiba StanekAnoka/IsantiNorth Branch
1998Jenny Kinnunen SchlauderaffWadena CountyMenahga
1999Renae Jorgens GebhartYellow Medicine CountyBoyd
2000Bridget Hollermann KleinPope CountyFarewell
2001Kelsey OlsonFillmore CountySpring Valley
2002Sarah Olson SchmidtMcLeod CountyHutchinson
2003Tae Vander Kooi NordbyNobles CountyWorthington
2004Christina RettmannRenville CountyBuffalo Lake
2005Rebekah Dammann ReuterMcLeod CountyLester Prairie
2006Audrey MohrBrown CountyNew Ulm
2007Ann MironWashington CountyHugo
2008Kristy MussmanSteele CountyClaremont
2009Elizabeth OlsonMcLeod CountyHutchinson
2010Katie MironWashington CountyHugo
2011Mary ZahuronesMorrison CountyPierz
2012Christine ReitsmaStearns CountySauk Centre
2013MarJenna McWilliam KoehlerPolk CountyWinger
2014Jeni HalerCarver CountyNorwood Young America
2015Kyla MaukWright CountyHoward Lake
2016Haley HinrichsGoodhue CountyGoodhue
2017Emily AnnexstadNicollet CountySt. Peter
2018Rebekka PaskewitzTodd CountyBrowerville
2019Amy KylloOlmsted CountyByron
2020Brenna ConnellyOlmsted CountyByron[6]
2021Anna EuerleMeeker CountyLitchfield
2022Rachel RyndaLeSueur CountyMontgomery[7]
2023Emma KuballRice CountyWaterville[8]

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. 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.
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