ST PAUL, Minn. — Rachel Rynda has been crowned the 69th Princess Kay of the Milky Way, a tradition that's preceded the official start of the Minnesota State Fair.
Rynda, a 19-year-old college student from Montgomery, Minnesota, was announced this year's winner at Wednesday's coronation at the state fairgrounds.
Aly Dieball of Green Isle and Kiley Lickfelt of Hutchinson were named runners-up.
Rynda, a University of Wisconsin-River Falls student, will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for nearly 2,100 Minnesota dairy farmers. Her first official duty will be to sit in a rotating cooler in the Dairy Building while first-year butter sculptor Gerry Kulzer fashions her likeness from a 90-pound block of butter.
The other nine finalists in the competition will also have their likeness forged from butter by Christensen's successor, Minnesota native Gerry Kulzer. The schedule for the sittings is as follows:
- Saturday, Aug. 27: Amber Post, Lake Wilson, representing Murray County
- Sunday, Aug. 28: Aly Dieball, Green Isle, representing Sibley County
- Monday, Aug. 29: Briana Maus, Freeport, representing Stearns County
- Tuesday, Aug. 30: Allison Wright, Hutchinson, representing McLeod County
- Wednesday, Aug. 31: Kallie Frericks, Albany, representing Stearns County
- Thursday, Sept. 1: Ashley Holst, Kellogg, representing Wabasha County
- Friday, Sept. 2: Hailey Frericks, Albany, representing Stearns County
- Saturday, Sept. 3: Kiley Lickfelt, Hutchinson, representing McLeod County; and
- Sunday, Sept. 4: Alex Christen, Sauk Centre, representing Stearns County
Daily updates and photos of the sculptures can be seen on the Princess Kay Facebook page.
Princess Kay and the other finalists are scheduled to make appearances near the Butter Sculpture Booth and the Moo Booth in the Dairy Building throughout the fair. The Dairy Barn is located at the corner of Judson Avenue and Underwood Street.