Princess Kay of the Milky Way facts for kids

Katie Miron, Princess Kay of the Milky Way, 2010, was a 19-year-old student at the University of Minnesota.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way is a special title given to the winner of the Minnesota Dairy Princess Program. This is an annual competition held in Minnesota, organized by the Midwest Dairy Association. The person who wins becomes a friendly spokesperson for Minnesota's dairy farmers and the dairy industry for one year.

Every year, the new Princess Kay is crowned at the famous Minnesota State Fair. She also receives a scholarship to help with her education. The crowning event is a big deal and gets a lot of attention from news outlets across Minnesota and even the whole country.

The idea for this competition came from Lew Conlon. The unique name, "Princess Kay of the Milky Way," was chosen in 1954 from over 10,000 ideas submitted in a contest!

Becoming Princess Kay

2010 Princess Kay of the Milky Way sits for a butter sculptor at the Minnesota State Fair

Young women from different counties in Minnesota can become local Dairy Princesses first. To do this, they need to meet certain rules. These local princesses then get a chance to compete in the Princess Kay of the Milky Way finals, which happen each spring.

About 100 princesses usually compete, but only 10 are chosen as finalists. These 10 finalists then get to help with public events at the Minnesota State Fair. The new Princess Kay is chosen just before the State Fair begins, and her crowning ceremony happens the night before the Fair opens. During the 12 days of the Fair and throughout the next year, Princess Kay makes many appearances in the media and at public events. She represents Minnesota's dairy farmers and shares how important dairy products are.

Who Can Be a Princess?

To be a contestant, a young woman must be a U.S. citizen. Her parents, guardians, or siblings must also be actively involved in producing dairy products, like milk or cheese. She needs to have finished high school, be under 24 years old, and be unmarried with no children.

Judges look for several qualities in the candidates. They check how well the young women can communicate, their personality, how much they know about the dairy industry and its products, and how dedicated they are to promoting dairy.

Amazing Butter Sculptures

Since 1965, a cool tradition has taken place at the Minnesota State Fair: sculptures of Princess Kay and the other finalists are carved out of butter! One sculpture is made each day of the Fair.

These amazing butter sculptures are carved from a huge 90-pound block of Grade A butter. The butter is made by Associated Milk Producers in New Ulm, Minnesota. The carving happens inside a special walk-in refrigerator with glass walls, so everyone at the Fair can watch. This butter carving booth is one of the most popular attractions at the Fair!

It takes about 6 to 8 hours to carve each butter sculpture. For almost 40 years, an artist named Linda Christensen has been the one to sculpt the Princesses' butter likenesses. After the Fair ends, each Princess gets to take her unique butter sculpture home with her.

Past Princesses