Princess Kay Coronation Set for August 24 « Back

ST. PAUL (August 2011) – “And the 58th Princess Kay of the Milky Way is...” This year’s Minnesota State Fair kicks off with the coronation of Princess Kay of the Milky Way on Wednesday evening, August 24, when reigning Princess Kay Katie Miron of Hugo, representing Washington County, will pass the crown on to one of 12 county dairy princesses vying for the title.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way serves as the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s nearly 4,500 dairy farmers. The 12 finalists for the title of 2011-2012 Princess Kay of the Milky Way are:

• Erin Daninger, 19, Washington County, daughter of Pat and Sharlene Daninger of Forest Lake;
• Chaneen Haler, 18, Carver County, daughter of Rick Haler and Connie Helget of Norwood;
• Jennifer Janak, 19, Dakota County, daughter of Roger and Julie Janak of Northfield;
• April Johnson, 22, Cottonwood County, daughter of Dean and Elizabeth Johnson of Heron Lake;
• Chelsey Johnson, 20, Cottonwood County, daughter of Dean and Elizabeth Johnson of Heron Lake;
• Stephanie Kasper, 19, Steele County, daughter of Peter and Karen Kasper of Owatonna;
• Emily Krekelberg, 20, Le Sueur County, daughter of Dale Krekelberg and Patty Krekelberg of Le Sueur;
• Emma Motl, 19, Todd County, daughter of Mike Motl and Kim Harff of Browerville;
• Janet Oelfke, 19, Sibley County, daughter of Jim and Jody Oelfke of Hamburg;
• Kelsey Sellner, 19, Brown County, daughter of Mike and Judy Sellner of Sleepy Eye;
• Theresa Twohey, 20, Olmsted County, daughter of Edward and Sherri Twohey of Stewartville;
• Mary Zahurones, 18, Morrison County, daughter of Chuck and Pat Tax of Pierz.

ABOUT THE PRINCESS KAY PROGRAM
Nearly 60 county dairy princesses participated in judging in May, which took place along with a dairy promotion training event for all county princesses. Each year, more than 100 young women from across Minnesota are crowned county dairy princesses, and 12 are selected as finalists to become Princess Kay. Each of the 12 finalists will have her likeness carved in butter during the fair.

Dairy princesses are selected on the basis of their communication skills, personality, general knowledge of the dairy industry and its products, and their commitment to dairy promotion. The program gives many young women the opportunity to represent the lifestyle in which they were raised. Dairy princesses serve as spokespeople to consumers, conduct media interviews, make classroom visits to educate students about the dairy industry, give speeches to various organizations and make public appearances at promotions or events.

Princess Kay candidates and Minnesota’s county dairy princesses are daughters of dairy farmers, employees of dairy farms, or daughters of dairy farm employees. They must be graduating seniors in high school when crowned, and not yet 24 years old, and they must not be married.

Midwest Dairy Association is a non-profit organization funded by dairy farmers to build demand for dairy products through integrated marketing, nutrition education and research. Midwest Dairy is funded by checkoff dollars from dairy farmers in a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit www.midwestdairy.com. Follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook at Midwest Dairy.

MEDIA: For more information, high-resolution photography or to set up an interview with the current Princess Kay Katie Miron or 2011-2012 Princess Kay candidates, contact Bellmont Partners Public Relations at (952) 440-6161 or info@bellmontpartners.com.