Big Dairy Doings at (and before) the 2011 State Fair « Back

This Year, Fair-goers Can Celebrate Butter Sculptor Linda Christensen’s 40th Anniversary, Create Their Own Butter Sculpture Likeness on Facebook

ST. PAUL (August 2011) – It’s a butter-riffic year at the Minnesota State Fair, with a lineup that includes several notable dairy events and promotions, including: sculptor extraordinaire Linda Christensen celebrating her 40th year carving likenesses out of 90-pound blocks of butter; the crowning of the 58th Princess Kay of the Milky Way; the second year of the popular “Butter-fy Yourself” Facebook app; a chance to win free groceries for a year; and locally produced products at the Dairy Goodness Bar.

Butter sculptor Linda Christensen’s 40th anniversary:
It’s one of the most enduring traditions of the fair: The newly crowned Princess Kay and the 11 finalists will each spend about six hours in the rotating 40-degree butter sculpture booth in the Dairy Building, having their likenesses carved out of 90-pound blocks of butter. (Princess Kay sits in the booth on the first day of the fair; the remaining 11 finalists get their likenesses sculpted on each of the remaining 11 days.) This year marks artist Linda Christensen’s 40th year creating butter sculptures on behalf of dairy farmers at the fair. Believe it or not, she’s created more than 450 sculptures over the years! Midwest Dairy Association has planned several events to celebrate, including:

• Checking out the butter at Associated Milk Producers Inc. in New Ulm: AMPI has been providing the butter for the sculptures for decades, but this will be the first time Linda has ever visited the operation. On Monday, August 22, at 11 a.m., AMPI welcomes Linda and representatives of the dairy community to check out the butter.
• Farm-City Fun Day: Ever wonder what Princess Kay does with her butter sculpture after the fair? Check it out for yourself when reigning Princess Kay Katie Miron’s family hosts a “Farm-City Fun Day” for 1,500 people on their farm in Hugo on August 20, from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. To celebrate the culmination of Katie’s reign and Linda Christensen’s 40th anniversary, the farm will be abuzz with free activities, including a hog roast, corn feed – using butter from Katie’s sculpture! -- hay rides, farm tours, a petting zoo and live music. Free-will offerings will support agricultural scholarships. Linda and dairy VIPs will get a tour before the party starts, at 4:30. The Miron Family Farm is located at 15250 Homestead Ave. North, Hugo, Minn. 55038. For more information, people can call (651) 429-5961.
• Press conference/interview opportunity: Here’s a rare opportunity to interview Linda before she bundles up and steps into the butter sculpting cooler for the rest of the fair. She’ll be available for questions in the Dairy Building on the afternoon of Princess Kay coronation, Wednesday, August 24, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
• Celebratory toast: At 9 a.m. on the first morning of the fair, August 25, dairy industry representatives will toast Linda at the Butter Sculpting Booth at the Dairy Goodness Bar, with free butter cookies (while supplies last) for fair-goers. Festival Foods is providing the cookies.
• Unprecedented gathering of former Princess Kays: On Friday, September 2, from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Christensen Farms/Miracle of Birth Stage, as many as dozens of former Princess Kays and finalists will gather to surprise Linda. We’re still working on the details, and will keep you posted about this photo opp.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way coronation ceremony: On Wednesday, August 24, at 8:30 p.m., the Minnesota State Fair kicks off with the coronation of the 2011-2012 Princess Kay at the State Fair Band Shell. Reigning Princess Kay Katie Miron of Hugo, representing Washington County, will pass the crown on to one of 12 county dairy princesses vying for this year’s title. Princess Kay of the Milky Way serves as the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s nearly 4,500 dairy farmers. The 58th Princess Kay and finalists will be available for interviews throughout the fair.

Butter-fy Yourself Facebook App: For the second year, fair-goers can stop by the social media kiosks in the Dairy Building (near the butter sculpting booth) and try the Midwest Dairy Association Facebook app, Butter-fy Yourself. The app transforms a simple Facebook profile photo into one of six fun butter personalities, including Dairy Princess, Butter Hippie, Butter Cow, Butter Liberty, Butter Bouffant and Butter Up (a baseball player). Visitors can also become Facebook friends with Princess Kay (find out what she’s up to the rest of the year!), and have their picture taken with a dairy princess, and -- for the first time ever – butter sculptor Linda Christensen. You can also try the app from home, by visiting http://apps.facebook.com/butterfy/.

Facebook Fan of the Day: This year, 12 people who “like” Princess Kay of the Milky Way’s Facebook page and answer the question of the day during the fair – posted on Facebook and in the Dairy Building -- will be chosen to receive a visit from Princess Kay to their favorite Minnesota grade school.

Free Food Samples: Midwest Dairy will work with two partners to offer dairy samples at the Moo Booth/Milking Parlor twice during the fair. On Thursday, Sept. 1, Valley View Farms chocolate fat-free milk that is served in schools will be sampled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 4, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., fair-goers can sample Yoplait Frozen Yogurt Bites: frozen yogurt with a fruit-flavored filling coated in granola.  

Farmers Feed US Campaign/Free Groceries Sweepstakes: Register to win free groceries for a year, and learn about Minnesota farms in the process. For the second year, Midwest Dairy Association is one of the sponsoring organizations of a campaign that invites consumers to learn more about what their state’s farmers do to provide safe, nutritious and affordable food through online tours of Minnesota farms. As part of the Farmers Feed US campaign, State Fair visitors can stop by the kiosks at the Dairy Fan Booth to learn more about Minnesota’s farmers and enter a sweepstakes to win free groceries for a year. (Over the past 12 months, Minnesotans made more than 100,000 registrations for the sweepstakes and have watched the videos of the featured farmers.) People can sign up at home, too: From August 15 through October 13, visitors to farmersfeedus.org/mn can sign up to win a grand prize of free groceries for a year – worth $5,000. Two $1,000 prices will also be given away.

Local products at the Dairy Goodness Bar: Once again this year, Midwest Dairy Association’s Dairy Goodness Bar will be serving up locally grown apples and strawberries from Pine Tree Orchard of White Bear Lake in its malts and sundaes. It also offers its signature malts, sundaes and cones, along with locally produced milk, yogurt and cheese. Located next to the Princess Kay butter sculpting booth, the Dairy Goodness Bar regularly ranks among the fair’s top food attractions. It’s open throughout the fair from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily.

A “dairy” good value: Dairy continues to be one of the best bargains at the fair. A 12-ounce cup of fresh cold two-percent white or low-fat chocolate milk at the All-You-Can-Drink Milk Stand is still just a buck. And the Dairy Goodness Bar will be offering Kids Days, Military Appreciation Day, Senior Days and Thrifty Thursday specials – including 2-for-1 chocolate milk and cheese sticks, and discounted ice cream cone offers.

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, photos or to set up interviews, contact Bellmont Partners Public Relations at (952) 440-6161 or info@bellmontpartners.com.