From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Princess Kay of the Milky Way 2007 carved in butter.
Princess Kay of the Milky Way is the title awarded to the winner of the state-wide Minnesota Dairy Princess Program, an annual pageant 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 state-wide as well as national media coverage.
The name "Princess Kay of the Milky Way" was selected from over 10,000 in a 1954 contest to name the Minnesota dairy princess.
[edit] Pageant Process
Individual counties in Minnesota may select any number of Dairy Princesses at any time during the year. The princess must meet eligibility requirements listed below. These Princesses may then elect to participate in the Princess Kay of the Milky Way pageant competition. Of the over 100 contestants in the competition, twelve finalists are selected in the pageant, and are then required to take on public relations roles at the Minnesota State Fair. The crowned Princess Kay then makes numerous media and public appearances throughout the coming year on behalf of Minnesota dairy producers.
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 "appearance, communication skills, general knowledge of the dairy industry, personality and enthusiasm for dairy promotion." [1]
[edit] Butter Sculptures
One of the carved butter heads from the 2005 Minnesota State Fair
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, Inc., 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 the past 34 years, Linda Christensen has sculpted the Princesses' butter sculptures. Princesses take their butter sculpture home with them at the end of the Fair.
Close up view of a butter head.
The refrigerated sculpting studio, Aug 2007.
[edit] Previous Princesses
Below is a list of previous Princesses. * indicates deceased.
Year |
Name |
County |
Town |
Current residence |
1954 |
Eleanor Maley Thatcher |
Mower County |
Grand Meadow |
Rochester |
1955 |
Ruth Marie Peterson Faber |
Mower County |
Lansing |
Le Mars, Iowa |
1956 |
Barbara Bossus Bohrer* |
Crow Wing County |
Brainerd |
|
1957 |
Judy Merritt |
Dakota County |
Lakeville |
Amery, Wisconsin |
1958 |
Diane Schroeder Dunn |
Polk County |
Fertile |
Spirit Lake, Iowa |
1959 |
Betty Jax Cole |
Mower County |
Adams, Minnesota |
Plymouth |
1960 |
Marilyn Christianson Styve |
Freeborn County |
Corning |
Afton |
1961 |
Diane Kramer |
Nobles County |
Worthington |
Clarinda, Iowa |
1962 |
Kathy Hjelle Martens |
Marshall County |
Argyle |
Willmar |
1963 |
Audrey Meyer Carlsen* |
Freeborn County |
Clarks Grove |
1964 |
Karen Bracken Geier |
Lincoln County |
Verdi |
Minnetonka |
1965 |
Mary Ann Titrud Springer |
Todd County |
Clarissa |
Minnetonka |
1966 |
Linda Kottke |
McLeod County |
Glencoe |
Deadwood, South Dakota |
1970 |
Gayle Krogstad Solum |
Norman County |
Ada |
Barnesville |
1971 |
Mary Ann Glawe Hardy |
Becker County |
Detroit Lakes |
The Colony, Texas |
1972 |
Madge Stapleton Johnson |
Houston County |
Caladonia |
Burnsville |
1973 |
Lori Anshus Redmer |
Yellow Medicine County |
Canby |
Minneapolis |
1974 |
Juliet Tessmer Garbow |
Hennepin County |
Rogers |
Saginaw, Michigan |
1975 |
Wanda Ponto Sackter |
Kanabec County |
Mora |
Eagan |
1976 |
Kathy Zeman |
Steele County |
Owatonna |
Kenyon |
1977 |
Beth Aarsvold Olson |
Winona County |
Peterson |
Lewiston |
1978 |
Kari Schroht Reuvers |
Steele County |
Owatonna |
Willmar |
1979 |
Tamara Pennings Goehring |
Kandiyohi County |
Blomkest |
Albany |
1980 |
Jean Lindig Kessler |
Pine County |
Pine City |
Plymouth |
1981 |
Jill Jensen Douglas |
Martin County |
East Chain |
Merrillville, Indiana |
1982 |
Janet Forner Bosch |
Carver County |
Chaska |
Montevideo |
1983 |
Lisa Schaffer Coyne |
Dakota County |
Cannon Falls |
Spring Valley, Wisconsin |
1984 |
Barbara Bianchi Clayton |
Nicollet County |
Gibbon |
Hartland, Wisconsin |
1985 |
Stephanie Dickey Bjella |
Clearwater County |
Leonard |
Everett, Washington |
1986 |
Yvonne Moerke Devito |
Grant County |
Ashby |
Mora |
1987 |
Amy Polikowsky Mesenburg |
Olmsted County |
Byron |
Byron |
1988 |
Marie Dick |
Cottonwood County |
Bingham Lake |
Bingham Lake |
1989 |
Katie Scott Johnson |
West Otter Tail County |
Battle Lake |
Underwood |
1990 |
Beth Mesenbring-Mastre |
Carver County |
Cologne |
Omaha, Nebraska |
1991 |
Julie Felger Mulford |
Kanabec County |
Mora |
Mora |
1992 |
Bridget Hendrickson Jacobson |
Fillmore County |
Preston |
Roseville |
1993 |
Ann Erickson Gibbs |
West Otter Tail County |
Battle Lake |
Battle Lake |
1994 |
Julie Sauber Antonutti |
Dakota County |
Lakeville |
Esko |
1995 |
Kimberly Mallery Gusick |
Chisago County |
Shafer |
Coleman, Wisconsin |
1996 |
Kristi Ann Pettis |
Sibley County |
Winthrop |
Billings, Montana |
1997 |
Kari Skiba Stanek |
Anoka/Isanti |
North Branch |
Reedsburg, Wisconsin |
1998 |
Jenny Kinnunen |
Wadena County |
Menahga |
Minnetonka |
1999 |
Renae Jorgens Gebhart |
Yellow Medicine County |
Boyd |
Meadow, South Dakota |
2000 |
Bridget Hollermann |
Pope County |
Farewell |
Litchfield |
2001 |
Kelsey Olson |
Fillmore County |
Spring Valley |
Spring Valley |
2002 |
Sarah Olson |
McLeod County |
Hutchinson |
Ireton, Iowa |
2003 |
Tae Vander Kooi |
Nobles County |
Worthington |
Worthington |
2004 |
Christina Rettmann |
Renville County |
Buffalo Lake |
Buffalo Lake |
2005 |
Rebekah Dammann |
McLeod County |
Lester Prairie |
Lester Prairie |
2006 |
Audrey Rose Mohr |
Brown County |
New Ulm |
New Ulm |
2007 |
Ann Miron |
Washington County |
Hugo |
Hugo |
[edit] References