Princess Kay of the Milky Way
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224320717
2008-07-08T09:40:26Z
Erica j
3687328
/* References */ removed broken link (mda.02.thirdwaveweb.com)
[[Image:PrincessKay2007butter.JPG|thumb|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.
==Pageant Process==
Individual [[List of Minnesota counties|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." [http://mda.02.thirdwaveweb.com/content.cfm?contentalias=princesskayofthemw]
==Butter Sculptures==
[[Image:MNStateFairButterHead2005.jpg|thumb|right|135px|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 sculpture]]s 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 [http://www.ampi.com 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.
[[Image:ButterSculpture2006-09-02.JPG|thumb|right|135px|Close up view of a butter head.]]
[[Image:Princess Kay butter sculpting Minnesota 2007.jpg|thumb|right|135px|The refrigerated sculpting studio, Aug 2007.]]
==Previous Princesses==
Below is a list of previous Princesses. * indicates deceased.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Name !! County !! Town !! Current residence
|-
| 1954 || Eleanor Maley Thatcher || [[Mower County, Minnesota|Mower County]] || [[Grand Meadow, Minnesota|Grand Meadow]] || [[Rochester, Minnesota|Rochester]]
|-
| 1955 || Ruth Marie Peterson Faber || [[Mower County, Minnesota|Mower County]] || [[Lansing, Minnesota|Lansing]] || [[Le Mars, Iowa]]
|-
| 1956 || Barbara Bossus Bohrer* || [[Crow Wing County, Minnesota|Crow Wing County]] || [[Brainerd, Minnesota|Brainerd]] ||
|-
| 1957 || Judy Merritt || [[Dakota County, Minnesota|Dakota County]] || [[Lakeville, Minnesota|Lakeville]] || [[Amery, Wisconsin]]
|-
| 1958 || Diane Schroeder Dunn || [[Polk County, Minnesota|Polk County]] || [[Fertile, Minnesota|Fertile]] || [[Spirit Lake, Iowa]]
|-
| 1959 || Betty Jax Cole || [[Mower County, Minnesota|Mower County]] || [[Adams, Minnesota]] || [[Plymouth, Minnesota|Plymouth]]
|-
| 1960 || Marilyn Christianson Styve || [[Freeborn County, Minnesota|Freeborn County]] || [[Corning, Minnesota|Corning]] || [[Afton, Minnesota|Afton]]
|-
| 1961 || Diane Kramer || [[Nobles County, Minnesota|Nobles County]] || [[Worthington, Minnesota|Worthington]] || [[Clarinda, Iowa|Clarinda, Iowa]]
|-
| 1962 || Kathy Hjelle Martens || [[Marshall County, Minnesota|Marshall County]] || [[Argyle, Minnesota|Argyle]] || [[Willmar, Minnesota|Willmar]]
|-
| 1963 || Audrey Meyer Carlsen* || [[Freeborn County, Minnesota|Freeborn County]] || [[Clarks Grove, Minnesota|Clarks Grove]]
|-
| 1964 || Karen Bracken Geier || [[Lincoln County, Minnesota|Lincoln County]]|| [[Verdi, Minnesota|Verdi]] || [[Minnetonka, Minnesota|Minnetonka]]
|-
| 1965 || Mary Ann Titrud Springer || [[Todd County, Minnesota|Todd County]]|| [[Clarissa, Minnesota|Clarissa]] || [[Minnetonka, Minnesota|Minnetonka]]
|-
| 1966 || Linda Kottke || [[McLeod County, Minnesota|McLeod County]]|| [[Glencoe, Minnesota|Glencoe]] || [[Deadwood, South Dakota|Deadwood, South Dakota]]
|-
| 1970 || Gayle Krogstad Solum || [[Norman County, Minnesota|Norman County]]|| [[Ada, Minnesota|Ada]] || [[Barnesville, Minnesota|Barnesville]]
|-
| 1971 || Mary Ann Glawe Hardy || [[Becker County, Minnesota|Becker County]] || [[Detroit Lakes, Minnesota|Detroit Lakes]] || [[The Colony, Texas|The Colony, Texas]]
|-
| 1972 || Madge Stapleton Johnson|| [[Houston County, Minnesota|Houston County]] || [[Caledonia, Minnesota|Caladonia]] || [[Burnsville, Minnesota|Burnsville]]
|-
| 1973 || Lori Anshus Redmer|| [[Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota|Yellow Medicine County]] || [[Canby, Minnesota|Canby]] || [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]]
|-
| 1974 || Juliet Tessmer Garbow || [[Hennepin County, Minnesota|Hennepin County]]|| [[Rogers, Minnesota|Rogers]] || [[Saginaw, Michigan|Saginaw, Michigan]]
|-
| 1975 || Wanda Ponto Sackter || [[Kanabec County, Minnesota|Kanabec County]]|| [[Mora, Minnesota|Mora]] || [[Eagan, Minnesota|Eagan]]
|-
| 1976 || Kathy Zeman || [[Steele County, Minnesota|Steele County]]|| [[Owatonna, Minnesota|Owatonna]] || [[Kenyon, Minnesota|Kenyon]]
|-
| 1977 || Beth Aarsvold Olson || [[Winona County, Minnesota|Winona County]]|| [[Peterson, Minnesota|Peterson]] || [[Lewiston, Minnesota|Lewiston]]
|-
| 1978 || Kari Schroht Reuvers || [[Steele County, Minnesota|Steele County]]|| [[Owatonna, Minnesota|Owatonna]] || [[Willmar, Minnesota|Willmar]]
|-
| 1979 || Tamara Pennings Goehring || [[Kandiyohi County, Minnesota|Kandiyohi County]]|| [[Blomkest, Minnesota|Blomkest]] || [[Albany, Minnesota|Albany]]
|-
| 1980 || Jean Lindig Kessler || [[Pine County, Minnesota|Pine County]]|| [[Pine City, Minnesota|Pine City]] || [[Plymouth, Minnesota|Plymouth]]
|-
| 1981 || Jill Jensen Douglas || [[Martin County, Minnesota|Martin County]]|| [[East Chain, Minnesota|East Chain]] || [[Merrillville, Indiana|Merrillville, Indiana]]
|-
| 1982 || Janet Forner Bosch || [[Carver County, Minnesota|Carver County]]|| [[Chaska, Minnesota|Chaska]] || [[Montevideo, Minnesota|Montevideo]]
|-
| 1983 || Lisa Schaffer Coyne || [[Dakota County, Minnesota|Dakota County]]|| [[Cannon Falls, Minnesota|Cannon Falls]] || [[Spring Valley, Wisconsin|Spring Valley, Wisconsin]]
|-
| 1984 || Barbara Bianchi Clayton || [[Nicollet County, Minnesota|Nicollet County]]|| [[Gibbon, Minnesota|Gibbon]] || [[Hartland, Wisconsin|Hartland, Wisconsin]]
|-
| 1985 || Stephanie Dickey Bjella || [[Clearwater County, Minnesota|Clearwater County]]|| [[Leonard, Minnesota|Leonard]] || [[Everett, Washington|Everett, Washington]]
|-
| 1986 || Yvonne Moerke Devito || [[Grant County, Minnesota|Grant County]]|| [[Ashby, Minnesota|Ashby]] || [[Mora, Minnesota|Mora]]
|-
| 1987 || Amy Polikowsky Mesenburg|| [[Olmsted County, Minnesota|Olmsted County]] || [[Byron, Minnesota|Byron]] || [[Byron, Minnesota|Byron]]
|-
| 1988 || Marie Dick || [[Cottonwood County, Minnesota|Cottonwood County]]|| [[Bingham Lake, Minnesota|Bingham Lake]] || [[Bingham Lake, Minnesota|Bingham Lake]]
|-
| 1989 || Katie Scott Johnson || West [[Otter Tail County, Minnesota|Otter Tail County]]|| [[Battle Lake, Minnesota|Battle Lake]] || [[Underwood, Minnesota|Underwood]]
|-
| 1990 || Beth Mesenbring-Mastre || [[Carver County, Minnesota|Carver County]]|| [[Cologne, Minnesota|Cologne]] || [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha, Nebraska]]
|-
| 1991 || Julie Felger Mulford || [[Kanabec County, Minnesota|Kanabec County]] || [[Mora, Minnesota|Mora]] || [[Mora, Minnesota|Mora]]
|-
| 1992 || Bridget Hendrickson Jacobson || [[Fillmore County, Minnesota|Fillmore County]]|| [[Preston, Minnesota|Preston]] || [[Roseville, Minnesota|Roseville]]
|-
| 1993 || Ann Erickson Gibbs || West [[Otter Tail County, Minnesota|Otter Tail County]]|| [[Battle Lake, Minnesota|Battle Lake]] || [[Battle Lake, Minnesota|Battle Lake]]
|-
| 1994 || Julie Sauber Antonutti || [[Dakota County, Minnesota|Dakota County]]|| [[Lakeville, Minnesota|Lakeville]] || [[Esko, Minnesota|Esko]]
|-
| 1995 || Kimberly Mallery Gusick || [[Chisago County, Minnesota|Chisago County]]|| [[Shafer, Minnesota|Shafer]] || [[Coleman, Wisconsin |Coleman, Wisconsin]]
|-
| 1996 || Kristi Ann Pettis || [[Sibley County, Minnesota|Sibley County]]|| [[Winthrop, Minnesota|Winthrop]] || [[Billings, Montana|Billings, Montana]]
|-
| 1997 || Kari Skiba Stanek || [[Anoka County, Minnesota|Anoka]]/[[Isanti County|Isanti]]|| [[North Branch, Minnesota|North Branch]] || [[Reedsburg, Wisconsin|Reedsburg, Wisconsin]]
|-
| 1998 || Jenny Kinnunen || [[Wadena County, Minnesota|Wadena County]]|| [[Menahga, Minnesota|Menahga]] || [[Minnetonka, Minnesota|Minnetonka]]
|-
| 1999 || Renae Jorgens Gebhart || [[Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota|Yellow Medicine County]]|| [[Boyd, Minnesota|Boyd]] || [[Meadow, South Dakota|Meadow, South Dakota]]
|-
| 2000 || Bridget Hollermann || [[Pope County, Minnesota|Pope County]]|| [[Farewell, Minnesota|Farewell]] || [[Litchfield, Minnesota|Litchfield]]
|-
| 2001 || Kelsey Olson || [[Fillmore County, Minnesota|Fillmore County]]|| [[Spring Valley, Minnesota|Spring Valley]] || [[Spring Valley, Minnesota|Spring Valley]]
|-
| 2002 || Sarah Olson || [[McLeod County, Minnesota|McLeod County]]|| [[Hutchinson, Minnesota|Hutchinson]] || [[Ireton, Iowa|Ireton, Iowa]]
|-
| 2003 || Tae Vander Kooi|| [[Nobles County, Minnesota|Nobles County]]|| [[Worthington, Minnesota|Worthington]] || [[Worthington, Minnesota|Worthington]]
|-
| 2004 || Christina Rettmann || [[Renville County, Minnesota|Renville County]]|| [[Buffalo Lake, Minnesota|Buffalo Lake]] || [[Buffalo Lake, Minnesota|Buffalo Lake]]
|-
| 2005 || Rebekah Dammann || [[McLeod County, Minnesota|McLeod County]]|| [[Lester Prairie, Minnesota|Lester Prairie]] || [[Lester Prairie, Minnesota|Lester Prairie]]
|-
| 2006 || Audrey Rose Mohr || [[Brown County, Minnesota|Brown County]]|| [[New Ulm, Minnesota|New Ulm]] || [[New Ulm, Minnesota|New Ulm]]
|-
| 2007 || Ann Miron || [[Washington County, Minnesota|Washington County]]|| [[Hugo, Minnesota|Hugo]] || [[Hugo, Minnesota|Hugo]]
|}
==References==
*[http://www.midwestdairy.com/pages/news_detail.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=325&TREE_ID=337 Meet the Past Princess Kays]
*[http://mda.02.thirdwaveweb.com/content.cfm?contentalias=princesskayhistoryfacts Princess Kay of the Milky Way History and Facts]
*[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40D16FD345A0C748EDDA10894DD404482 Minnesota State Fair Journal; A Dairy Queen, Oops, Princess, in All Her Buttery Glory], a 2005 New York Times article on Linda Christensen and the butter carvings
[[Category:Beauty pageants]]
[[Category:History of Minnesota]]
[[Category:Minnesota culture]]
[[Category:1954 establishments]]