Princess Kay of the Milky Way Mallorie Thorson of Waverly will be crowning her successor this week at the Minnesota State Fair. Thorson has had a busy year – promoting the dairy industry, attending her junior year at South Dakota State University, and working this summer at the Fieldgate Cheese Store in Litchfield.
Thorson says she’s attended numerous events such as breakfasts on farms, county fairs and doing school visits – educating people about the dairy industry and making sure people know that dairy products are trustworthy. She says she’s majoring in dairy production in college and she would someday like to return to her family’s farm and take it over.
Thorson says her family farm dates back to 1874 and they milk 250 cows and raise crops on 900 acres. She says her advice to the ten candidates who are hoping to be the next Princess Kay of the Milky Way is to not let stress ruin their joy.
Thorson says the candidates went through orientation earlier in July and there will be more events for them this week, leading up to the coronation on Wednesday. She says Litchfield sculptor Gerry Kulzer sculpted a likeness of her head out of butter last year and it’s in her mother’s freezer, and she will probably use it for the Good Neighbor corn feed next year at her church.
A 44-year-old man was killed in a two-vehicle crash Saturday afternoon in Kandiyohi County.
The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office says the crash was reported just before 2 p.m. at the intersection of County Roads 2 and 33 in Roseville Township.
Authorities say an SUV, driven by 44-year-old Guillermo Otoniel Castillo Blandon of Willmar, was traveling east on County Road 33 when it collided with a semi-truck and trailer traveling north on County Road 2. The semi was driven by 67-year-old David Sandin of Franklin. Blandon was extricated by the New London Fire Department and Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad. Emergency crews provided life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Sandin was treated at the scene and released.
The crash remains under investigation. The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Minnesota State Patrol, New London Fire Department, New London Ambulance, Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad, CentraCare Ambulance and LifeLink.
The Legion of St. Michael Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club – Lakes Area Chapter – has established a $10,000 endowed scholarship at the Ridgewater College Foundation to honor the late Atwater Police Chief Trevor Berger. Funded by the Schmidt-Berger Memorial Ride, the scholarship supports future law enforcement students in memory of Berger, who passed away in 2022.
Members of Trevor Berger’s family presented the check to Ridgewater College President, Dr. Cheryl Norman and Interim Foundation Operations Specialist, Stephenie Jimenez at the Willmar VFW on August 10th. Representing the Berger family was Kate Berger, Trevor’s wife; his sons, Micah, and Ryan; and his parents, Marvin and Nancy Berger.
Berger dedicated his career to law enforcement and the community he grew up in. He served with the McLeod County Jail, Silver Lake Police Department, Eden Valley Police Department and Atwater Police Department before becoming Atwater’s police chief.
The Minnesota State Fair will open next Thursday, August 27th and will continue through Labor Day – September 7th. The Princess Kay of the Milky Way competition will be held on the eve of the State Fair – August 26th, and Meeker County once again has a princess in the competition.
Claudia Frenchick is one of the ten finalists for Princess Kay and a fan bus will be taking people from the Paynesville and Litchfield areas to the State Fairgrounds Wednesday evening for the pageant. Litchfield sculptor Gerry Kulzer will be sculpting likenesses of the new Princess Kay and the other 9 finalists out of 90-pound blocks of butter each day of the State Fair.
State Fair spokesperson Maria Hayden says there’s still time for people to purchase tickets in advance for the 2026 Minnesota State Fair which helps you save a couple of dollars on admission.
Hayden says the State Fair has 32 free park ‘n’ ride locations with shuttle bus service to the State Fair and there are also express bus services from several suburbs for a minimal fee as parking lots at the fairgrounds are often filled up. She says there are 36 new foods to try and lots of great grandstand entertainment to enjoy and you can find more details at mnstatefair.org.