The 70th Princess Kay of the Milky Way is Emma Kuball. Kuball will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for 1,850 Minnesota dairy farm families.
She is from Waterville, Minnesota, representing Rice County. She is the daughter of Nate and Shannon Kuball and attends the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Ten other county dairy princesses from throughout Minnesota also competed for the Princess Kay of the Milky Way title.
The runners-up were Makenzie Alberts of Pine Island, representing Dodge County, as well as Megan Ratka of Cold Spring, representing Stearns County. Alberts, Kuball and Ratka were also named scholarship winners. Miss Congeniality was Gracie Ash of Milaca, representing Mille Lacs County.
Throughout her year-long reign as Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Kuball will make public appearances to help connect consumers to Minnesota’s dairy farm families. She will also work to bring dairy to life through conversations, classroom visits and various speaking engagements. She will highlight the nutritional benefits of dairy as well as dairy farmers’ continual commitment to environmental sustainability.
Kuball’s 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) to have her likeness sculpted in a 90-pound block of butter the first two days of the Minnesota State Fair – Thursday, Aug. 24, and Friday, Aug. 25. Minnesota artist and butter sculptor Gerry Kulzer will be carving Princess Kay as well as the finalists.
Other finalists scheduled to have their likenesses sculpted are as follows:
- Saturday, Aug. 26: Montana Krueger, Arlington, representing Sibley County
- Sunday, Aug. 27: Megan Ratka, Cold Spring, representing Stearns County
- Monday, Aug. 28: Makenzie Alberts, Pine Island, representing Dodge County
- Tuesday, Aug. 29: Josephine Sutherland, Flandreau, S.D., representing Pipestone County
- Wednesday, Aug. 30: Katherine Hills, Monticello, representing Wright County
- Thursday, Aug. 31: Gracie Ash, Milaca, representing Mille Lacs County
- Friday, Sept. 1: Anne Simpson, Pine Island, representing Olmsted County
- Saturday, Sept. 2: Jalyssa Beaudry, Otsego, representing Wright County
- Sunday, Sept. 3: Riley Ward, St. Charles, representing Winona County
Throughout the fair, Princess Kay as well as the other finalists will make appearances near the Butter Sculpture Booth and at the Moo Booth in the Dairy Barn. Princess Kay’s Facebook page will provide regular updates and also photos of each completed butter sculpture.
Princess Kay candidates are judged on their general knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills as well as enthusiasm for dairy. Midwest Dairy sponsors the Princess Kay program, which is funded by dairy farmers through their promotion checkoff.
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