Meet a butter head

By Mariah Davis and Mariah Davis

Elizabeth Olson, 19, the 56th Princess Kay of the Milky Way, poses next to her butter sculpture in the Dairy Building at the Minnesota State Fair.

Photo By: Tony Zappia and Mariah Davis

Olson waves at the crowd watching the daily mall parade at the fair.

The Olson family is the first to claim two Princess Kay titles. Her sister Sarah was a previous Princess in 2002 and her sister Lana was a runner-up in 2005.

Elizabeth Olson, of Hutchinson, knows the name of every cow on her family’s dairy farm. That’s the what it takes to be named Princess Kay of the Milky Way at the Minnesota State Fair.

“I can name all of them by name and who their parents are, and there are over 100 of them so it’s a lot,” said Olson, 19.

Olson is the 56th Princess Kay of the Milky Way, a title awarded each year to a young woman from a family involved in Minnesota’s dairy industry. Olson will act as an ambassador for the next year for the dairy industry.

Olson’s first day as royalty was spent in the 40-degree butter sculpture booth where her likeness was carved out of a 90-pound block of butter, according to a press release from the Midwest Dairy Association, which awards the title.

Dozens of girls compete in their local county competitions for the title of Princess Kay. Once narrowed down to 12 girls, they are judged on their “general knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills, personality and enthusiasm for dairy promotion,” according to the association.

All 12 finalists are sculpted out of butter.

Olson’s family has been involved in the dairy industry for more than 120 years. She is currently a sophmore at the University of Minnesota and majoring in Animal Science.

Olson’s duty as Princess Kay includes promoting dairy at fairs, schools and more to put a face to the product, she said.

The Olson family is the first to claim two Princess Kay titles. Her sister Sarah was a previous Princess in 2002 and her sister Lana was a runner-up in 2005.

Since Olson’s coronation, she has been in parades and press meetings, and has done a lot of talking about having a sculpture of her head carved out of butter.

Olson and her sisters all have carvings of their heads, which their mother intends to freeze to preserve them for future years.

After college, Olson plans to continue on with dairy, and wants to raise her children in the family tradition.