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73rd Princess Kay crowned at MN State Fair
The 73rd Princess Kay was crowned ahead of Minnesota State Fair.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Jena Hanson, a 20-year-old college student from Owatonna representing Steele County, was crowned the 73rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way during an evening ceremony Wednesday at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
The new Princess Kay
What we know:
Hanson is the daughter of Steve and Suzie Hanson and attends the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She was selected from 10 dairy princesses who competed from throughout Minnesota for the title.
Isabella Schiffler of Albany, representing Stearns County, and Jaiden Smith of Melrose, also representing Stearns County, were named runners-up. Smith was also named Miss Congeniality. Hanson, Schiffler and Claudia Frenchick of St. Martin, representing Meeker County, were named scholarship winners.
Princess Kay candidates are judged on their general knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills and enthusiasm for dairy. Midwest Dairy sponsors the Princess Kay program, which is funded by dairy farmers through their promotion checkoff.
Hanson will now spend the next year making public appearances as the official goodwill ambassador for nearly 1,500 Minnesota dairy farm families. She will work to bring dairy to life through conversations, classroom visits and various speaking engagements about the nutritional benefits of dairy and dairy farmers' continual commitment to environmental sustainability.
What's next:
Hanson's first official duty as Princess Kay will be to sit in a rotating cooler in the Dairy Building — located at the corner of Judson Avenue and Underwood Street — to have her likeness sculpted into a 90-pound block of butter. That takes place the first two days of the Minnesota State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 27, and Friday, Aug. 28.
Minnesota artist and butter sculptor Gerry Kulzer will carve Princess Kay and all the finalists. The full butter sculpture schedule for the remaining finalists is as follows:
Saturday, Aug. 29: Jaiden Smith, Melrose, representing Stearns County
Sunday, Aug. 30: Morgan Morrow, Princeton, representing Benton County
Monday, Aug. 31: Isabella Schiffler, Albany, representing Stearns County
Tuesday, Sept. 1: Claudia Frenchick, St. Martin, representing Meeker County
Wednesday, Sept. 2: Gracie Sellner, Sleepy Eye, representing Brown County
Thursday, Sept. 3: Daisy Zimmermann, Sauk Centre, representing Stearns County
Friday, Sept. 4: Stephanie Dykstra, Bigelow, representing Nobles County
Saturday, Sept. 5: Kalley Christen, Lester Prairie, representing McLeod County
Sunday, Sept. 6: Elizabeth Coudron, Milroy, representing Redwood County
Throughout the fair, Princess Kay and the other finalists will make appearances near the Butter Sculpture Booth in the Dairy Building. Regular updates and photos of each completed butter sculpture will be shared on Princess Kay's Facebook page and Instagram.
The Source: This story is based on a press release from the Princess Kay of the Milky Way program, sponsored by Midwest Dairy.