Rachel Visser of Hutchinson was crowned the 71st Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Submitted photos.
As the newly crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Visser was the first of the finalists to sit in the butter cooler at the State Fair and have EV-W art teacher Gerry Kulzer carve her out of a 90-pound block of butter.
Rachel Visser, a 19-year-old college student from Hutchinson representing McLeod County, was crowned the 71st Princess Kay of the Milky Way in an evening ceremony on August 21 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
Visser will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s nearly 1,800 dairy farming families. She is the daughter of Barry and Shannon Visser and is a student at the University of Minnesota.
Nine County Daily Princesses from across Minnesota competed for the title of “Princess Kay of the Milky Way.” 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 recipients. Mackenzie Moline of Saint Peter, representing Nicollet County, was named Miss Congeniality.
During her year-long reign as Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Visser will make public appearances to connect consumers with Minnesota’s dairy farming families. She will work to bring dairy to life through talks, classroom visits and various presentations on the nutritional benefits of dairy and dairy farmers’ ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.
Visser’s first official assignment as Princess Kay was to sit in a rotating cooler in the Dairy Building (at the corner of Judson Avenue and Underwood Street) and have her likeness sculpted from a 90-pound block of butter during the first two days of the Minnesota State Fair – Thursday, August 22 and Friday, August 23. Minnesota artist, EV-W art teacher and butter sculptor Gerry Kulzer is carving Princess Kay and the finalists.
Throughout the show, Princess Kay and the other finalists will be seen near the butter sculpture booth in the Dairy Building. Regular updates and photos of each finished butter sculpture will be provided on Princess Kay’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Candidates for the Princess Kay program are judged on their general knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills and enthusiasm for dairy products. Midwest Dairy sponsors the Princess Kay program, which is funded by dairy farmers through their transportation grants.
About Midwest Dairy®
Midwest Dairy® represents 4,000 dairy farming families and works on their behalf to increase demand for dairy by building consumer confidence in our products and production practices. We are committed to “Bringing Dairy to Life!” by providing consumers with a superior dairy experience. We are funded by 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 MidwestDairy.com. Also follow us on Facebook and YouTube.
