90-Pound Butter Head Sculpture at the Minnesota State Fair

What do you do with a 90-pound block of Grade A butter? Well, at the Minnesota State Fair, the answer is easy! Princess Kay of the Milky Way has her likeness carved in it!

On August 22, 2007, the 54th Princess Kay of the Milky Way was crowned in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ann Miron, a 19-year-old college student from Hugo, representing Washington County, Minnesota, was this year's winner.

The annual event is sponsored by the Midwest Dairy Association which represents 5,000 dairy farmers. The Princess' duties include promoting dairy products and educating consumers about dairy farmers' commitment to providing wholesome milk and dairy products and caring for their animals and the land.

According to the Midwest Dairy Association's website, "various butter sculptures were featured at the Minnesota State Fair from 1898 through 1927. In 1965, the American Dairy Association of Minnesota began its tradition of having the likenesses of dairy princesses sculpted in butter."

As this years' winner, Ann sat in a rotating cooler (set at 38 degrees F) for nearly eight hours in the Empire Commons sculpture booth at the Minnesota State Fair on August 23. Her likeness was sculpted by Linda Christensen, who has been carving in butter for the State Fair for 36 years.

I became interested in the Princess Kay contest after I met one of the past Princesses at work. Karen Geir worked in the same office building in Minnetonka as I did. She told me that she had been the Princess Kay of 1964 and was the first Princess to have her likeness sculpted in butter. She said that the past Princesses' often get together for reunions and special events.

I was lucky enough to be visiting the State Fair on August 24 and snapped this photograph of the butter sculpting.

If you visit the State Fair, which is held in St. Paul and runs every day from Aug. 23 - Sept. 3, be sure to check out the Empire Commons Building because you will see some other butter sculpting as the other 11 Princess Kay finalists will be carved in butter as well. Also, the building has a huge food booth sponsored by the Dairy Association and serves up malts, floats, and other dairy treats.