Jena Hanson, a 20-year-old college student from Owatonna, representing Steele County, was crowned the 73rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way in an evening ceremony Aug. 26 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
Hanson will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for the nearly 1,500 Minnesota dairy farm families, Midwest Dairy announced. She is the daughter of Steve and Suzie Hanson and attends the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Ten dairy princesses from throughout Minnesota competed for the Princess Kay of the Milky Way title. Isabella Schiffler of Albany, representing Stearns County, and Jaiden Smith of Melrose, representing Stearns County, were selected as runners-up. Smith was named Miss Congeniality.
Hanson, Schiffler and Claudia Frenchick of St. Martin, representing Meeker County, were named scholarship winners.
Daisy Zimmermann of Sauk Centre was one of 10 finalists. She also represented Stearns County.
Morgan Morrow of Princeton was another finalists. She represented Benton County.
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Throughout her yearlong reign as Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Hanson will make public appearances to help connect consumers to Minnesota's 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.
Hanson's first official duty as Princess Kay is 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 in a 90-pound block of butter during the first two days of the Minnesota State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 27, and Friday, Aug. 28. Minnesota artist and butter sculptor Gerry Kulzer will be carving Princess Kay and the finalists.
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Other finalists are scheduled to have their likenesses sculpted as follows:
Saturday, Aug. 29: Jaiden Smith, Melrose, daughter of Jeremey and Emily Smith; representing Stearns County
Sunday, Aug. 30: Morgan Morrow, Princeton, daughter of Jim and Tina Morrow, representing Benton County
Monday, Aug. 31: Isabella Schiffler, daughter of John and Kristie 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, daughter of Mike and Lori Zimmermann; 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. Princess Kay's Facebook page and Instagram will share regular updates and photos of each completed butter sculpture.
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.
Midwest Dairy represents 3,600 dairy farm families and works on their behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in dairy products and production practices. Midwest Dairy is committed to "Bringing Dairy to Life!" by giving consumers an excellent dairy experience. The organization is funded by farmers across the 10-state region of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit MidwestDairy.com, and follow them on Facebook and YouTube.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Meet the new Princess Kay of the Milky Way