Rachel Rynda Crowned 69th Princess Kay Of The Milky Way

MINNESOTA STATE FAIRGROUNDS — Montgomery, Minnesota native Rachel Rynda was crowned the 69th Princess Kay of the Milky Way on Wednesday night, just hours before the start of the 2022 Minnesota State Fair. She was also named Miss Congeniality.

Rynda — a 19-year-old attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls — represented Le Sueur County in the annual competition hosted by the Midwest Dairy Association. She is the daughter of Francis and Theresa Rynda.

Rynda will now serve as the official "goodwill ambassador" for more than 2,000 Minnesota dairy farm families.

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Her first order of business 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.

During the fair, Princess Kay and the other finalists can be found near the Butter Sculpture Booth in the Dairy Building and at the Moo Booth in the Dairy Barn.

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Throughout her year-long reign, Rynda will make public appearances — such as classroom visits — with the goal of bringing dairy to life for residents across the state.

Ten county dairy princesses from different Minnesota regions competed for the Princess Kay of the Milky Way title. Judges chose the winner of the title based on contestants' general knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills, and enthusiasm for dairy.

Aly Dieball, who represented Sibley County, and Kiley Lickfelt, who represented McLeod County, were chosen as runners-up in the competition.

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Lickfelt and Rynda, as well as Briana Maus — representing Stearns County — were named scholarship winners.

Butter sculpture carvings

For the first time, Minnesota native Gerry Kulzer will carve Princess Kay and the nine finalists out of butter. Kulzer is replacing Linda Christensen, who was the fair's official butter sculptor from 1972 until she retired in 2021.

Visit the Dairy Building at the State Fair to see the live butter carving. The Dairy Building is located at the corner of Judson Avenue and Underwood Street.

Here is the full schedule for butter carvings at the Dairy Building:

• Thursday-Friday: Rachel Rynda, Princess Kay of the Milky Way
• Saturday, Aug. 27: Amber Post, of Lake Wilson, representing Murray County
• Sunday, Aug. 28: Aly Dieball, of Green Isle, representing Sibley County Monday,
• Aug. 29: Briana Maus, of Freeport, representing Stearns County Tuesday
• Aug. 30: Allison Wright, of Hutchinson, representing McLeod County Wednesday
• Aug. 31: Kallie Frericks, of Albany, representing Stearns County
• Sept. 1: Ashley Holst, of Kellogg, representing Wabasha County
• Sept. 2: Hailey Frericks, of Albany, representing Stearns County
• Sept. 3: Kiley Lickfelt, of Hutchinson, representing McLeod County
• Sept. 4: Alex Christen, of Sauk Centre, representing Stearns County

Keep up with Princess Kay's daily updates at the fair on her Facebook page.