Princess Kay of the Milky Way Finalists
Ten young women were named as finalists for the 73rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way this past weekend as dairy princesses from across the state gathered for the annual May Leadership event at the Delta Hotel in Minneapolis. Another Meeker County Dairy Princess is in the competition this year.
Claudia Frenchick of St. Martin – daughter of Amanda Frenchick – will be representing Meeker County in the Princess Kay pageant. The new Princess Kay will be crowned on the eve of the Minnesota State Fair in August. The other candidates include:
Kalley Christen of Lester Prairie – daughter of Keith and Angela Christen – representing McLeod County; Isabella Schiffler of Albany – daughter of John and Kristie Schiffler, Jaiden Smith of Melrose – daughter of Jeremey and Emily Smith, and Daisy Zimmermann of Sauk Centre – daughter of Mike and Lori Zimmermann – all representing Stearns County; Elizabeth Coudron of Milroy – daughter of Ron and Jennifer Coudron – representing Redwood County;
Stephanie Dykstra of Bigelow – daughter of Steve and Esther Dykstra – representing Nobles County; Jena Hanson of Owatonna – daughter of Steve and Suzie Hanson – representing Steele County; Morgan Morrow of Princeton – daughter of Jim and Tina Morrow – representing Benton County; and Gracie Sellner of Sleepy Eye – daughter of Loran and Heidi Sellner – representing Brown County
To compete to be a finalist for Princess Kay of the Milky Way, each princess submitted an application, participated in a professional interview, prepared and delivered a speech and participated in a mock media interview. Princess Kay candidates are judged on their general knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills and enthusiasm for promoting dairy.
The new Princess Kay of the Milky Way and the other 9 finalists will all have their likenesses carved in butter during the 2026 Minnesota State Fair. Midwest Dairy sponsors the Princess Kay of the Milky Way program, which is funded by dairy farmers through their promotion checkoff.
