Who will be the next Princess Kay of the Milky Way?

Joining me are Princess Kay of the Milky Way Emily Annexstad and the 2018-19 Princess Kay finalists

I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I get to spend the summer with these wonderful young women from the dairy community who feel just as much love for this crazy world of dairy farming as I do!

Each year the Dairy Princess Promotion and Leadership Event is held in St. Joseph, Minnesota. It is a weekend devoted to skill-building to share the message of dairy farmers commitment to providing safe, high-quality milk and dairy foods, including taking care of our cows and the land.

But how are these young women chosen to attend this workshop? Each of the 70+ attendees are from a dairy farm family, or they, or their parents or guardian are employed by a dairy farm. They are selected as their county's dairy ambassadors, and then move on to the May Event. This is also where the 12 finalists are selected for the Minnesota dairy community's goodwill ambassador, Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Candidates are judged on a written application, a short speech, a professional interview, and a mock media interview.

After a busy summer of June Dairy Month promotions, appearances, and County Fairs, the 12 finalists come together in August for more judging. Princess Kay is then crowned the evening before the start of the Minnesota State Fair and will represent dairy farmers for the next year.

I am pleased to be working with this year's Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists-

• Amy Broll, Chaska, daughter of Dan and Kathie Broll, and representing Carver County;
• Blaize Dankers, Plainview, daughter of Annette and Travis Reimers, and representing Wabasha County;
• Katherine Gathje, Richmond, daughter of Scott and Denise Gathje, and representing Meeker County; 
• Laura Grimm, Waconia, daughter of Joel and Barb Grimm, and representing Carver County;
• Megan Hollermann, Burtrum, daughter of Shawn and Debbie Hollermann, and representing Todd County;
• Korissa Lindquist, Kerkhoven, daughter of Rod and Naomi Lindquist, and representing Kandiyohi County;
• Calissa Lubben, Edgerton, daughter of Cal and Char Lubben, and representing Rock County;
• Ashley Maus, Freeport, daughter of Darrel and Lisa Maus, and representing Stearns County;
• Melendy Miller, Plainview, daughter of Stacy and Julie Miller, and representing Wabasha County;
• Julia Mullenbach, Rose Creek, daughter of Al and Lynette Mullenbach, and representing Mower County;
• Rebekka Paskewitz, Browerville, daughter of Alan and Vicki Paskewitz, and representing Todd County; and
• Catherine Thompson, Plainview, daughter of Donny and Holly Thompson, and representing Olmsted County.

Following the Minnesota State Fair I will be working with Princess Kay scheduling her appearances, and assisting with her speeches and media presentations. I am proud to be a part of this program. As a dairy farmer, the mom of a past finalist, and currently the Minnesota Dairy Princess Coordinator, I have seen, first hand, the amazing young women who represent the hard-working, dedicated dairy farmers of Minnesota.

Who will be the next Princess Kay of the Milky Way?

A Day in the Life of Princess Kay

Earlier this Summer, I became the Minnesota Dairy Princess Coordinator. I told you all about it in my blog post 12 Good Reasons.

On the eve before the start of the Minnesota State Fair, Kyla Mauk became our 62nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Minnesota's dairy ambassador. Congratulations to Kyla!

One of my duties as Minnesota Dairy Princess Coordinator is to chaperone Princess Kay and the eleven princess finalists at the Minnesota State Fair, so from August 26th to September 8th, I packed my bags and moved from the farm to a hotel near the state fair to spend morning, noon, and night with 12 of the best Minnesota farm girls I know!

So what does Princess Kay and the finalists do for 12 days of the Great Minnesota Get-Together? 

Princess Kay, and each of the finalists get their likeness carved from a 90 pound block of sweet, creamy butter. This tradition has been going on for 40+ years, and Princess Kay is tradtionally carved on the first day of the Fair. While fairgoers watched, six to eight hours of Princess Kyla's first day of her reign were spent in a 40 degree, rotating cooler as sculptor Linda Christensen worked her magic.

 Every afternoon Princess Kay climbed aboard the float with State Fair mascots Fairborne and Fairchild for some fun during the daily parade.  

 Each day there were amatuer butter sculptures to be judged,

presentations to be given,

 and thousands of fair-goers to greet...and lots of photo opportunities!

 Sunday morning was spent handing out chocolate milk to re-fuel the runners at the finish line of the annual "Milk Run."

   There were also many chances for Kyla to share about dairy farming and dairy foods as she was scheduled for many media appearances. Whether it was a cow milking contest-

a radio interview-

handing out Salted Caramel Puff Malts-

or helping out the local weather man-

it was always done with a smile!

As Princess Kyla looks forward to the upcoming year of representing Minnesota's nearly 3,400 dairy farmers, I look forward to watching her journey, as I am proud to say she's representing the dairy community I love!