Haley Hinrichs, a 19-year-old college student from Goodhue, Minnesota,
representing Goodhue County, was crowned the 63rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way
in an evening ceremony at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Wednesday.
Hinrichs will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for more than 3,000
Minnesota dairy farm families. She is the daughter of Tim Hinrichs, and attends
Iowa State University, where she is pursuing a degree in agriculture education
with an emphasis in communications.
Twelve county dairy princesses from throughout Minnesota competed for the
Princess Kay of the Milky Way title. Meghan Skiba of Cambridge, representing
Isanti County, and Morgan Krause of Buffalo, representing Wright County, were
selected as runners-up.
Meghan Skiba was also named Miss Congeniality. Skiba and Krause were awarded
scholarships, along with Sabrina Portner of Sleepy Eye, representing Brown
County.
Throughout her yearlong reign as Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Hinrichs will
make public appearances to help connect consumers to Minnesota's dairy farm
families. She will also promote the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, through which
she encourages students to get 60 minutes of physical activity each day and eat
a healthy diet that includes three servings of dairy.
Hinrichs' first official duty as Princess Kay will be to sit in a rotating
cooler in the Dairy Building (located at the corner of Judson Avenue and
Underwood Street) for nearly six hours to have her likeness sculpted in a
90-pound block of butter on the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair -- Aug.
25. This year marks butter sculptor Linda Christensen's 45th year carving the
Princess Kay of the Milky Way winner and finalists at the Minnesota State Fair.
Princess Kay candidates are judged on their general knowledge of the dairy
industry, communication skills and enthusiasm for dairy. Midwest Dairy
Association sponsors the Princess Kay program, which is funded by dairy farmers
through their promotion checkoff.