A 19-year-old college student from McCleod County was crowned the 71st Princess Kay of the Milky Way during a coronation ceremony on Wednesday night, the eve of the 2024 Minnesota State Fair.
19-year-old college student from McCleod County Rachel Visser was crowned the 71st Princess Kay of the Milky Way during a coronation ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, the eve of the 2024 Minnesota State Fair. (Courtesy photo)
Rachel Visser is the daughter of Barry and Shannon Visser, of Hutchinson, and attends the University of Minnesota.
For the next year, Visser will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for nearly 1,800 Minnesota dairy farm families.
Nine county dairy princesses from throughout Minnesota competed for the Princess Kay title at the State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights.
Katie Ketchum of Altura, representing Winona County, and Grace Woitalla of Avon, representing Stearns County, were selected as runners-up.
Visser, Ketchum and Woitalla were also named scholarship winners.
Mackenzie Moline of St. Peter, representing Nicollet County, was named Miss Congeniality.
Princess Kay candidates are judged on their knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills and enthusiasm. Midwest Dairy and its farmer members sponsor the pageant program.
Visser’s first official duty as Princess Kay will be to sit in a rotating cooler in the Dairy Building for nearly eight hours to have her likeness sculpted in a 90-pound block of butter on the first two days of the State Fair, which begins Thursday.
Litchfield artist and butter sculptor Gerry Kulzer will be carving Princess Kay and the finalists.
The other 2024 finalists are scheduled to have their likenesses sculpted as follows:
Saturday, Aug. 24: Miranda Schroeder, Caledonia, representing Houston County
Sunday, Aug. 25: Grace Woitalla, Avon, representing Stearns County
Monday, Aug. 26: McKenna Wright, Hutchinson, representing McLeod County
Wednesday, Aug. 28: Selena Corona, Saint Joseph, representing Stearns County
Thursday, Aug. 29: Katie Ketchum, Altura, representing Winona County
Friday, Aug. 30: Katelyn Welgraven, Ruthton, representing Pipestone County
Saturday, Aug. 31: Mackenzie Moline, Saint Peter, representing Nicollet County
Sunday, Sept. 1: Afton Nelson, Owatonna, representing Steele County
Princess Kay and the other finalists will make appearances throughout the State Fair near the butter sculpture booth in the Dairy Building.
The Princess Kay Facebook and Instagram accounts will provide regular updates and photos of each completed butter sculpture.
The State Fair concludes on Labor Day, Sept. 2.
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