College student from central Minnesota selected Princess Kay of the Milky Way

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn.-A 20-year-old college student from Browerville in central Minnesota has been crowned the 65th Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

The Midwest Dairy Association selected Rebekka Paskewitz, representing Todd County, from a field of 12 county dairy princesses during a Wednesday evening, Aug. 22, ceremony at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights.

Paskewitz will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for more than 3,000 dairy farm families in Minnesota.

She is the daughter of Alan and Vicki Paskewitz and attends South Dakota State University, where she is pursuing a degree in agricultural education.

Blaize Dankers of Plainview, representing Wabasha County, and Korissa Lindquist of Kerkhoven, representing Kandiyohi County, were selected as runners-up.

Katherine Gathje, representing Meeker County, Ashley Maus of Freeport, representing Stearns County, and Julia Mullenbach of Rose Creek, representing Mower County, were named scholarship winners. Lindquist was also named Miss Congeniality.

Paskewitz succeeds 2017 Princess Kay Emily Annexstad, a University of Minnesota student from St. Peter who represented Nicollet County.

Paskewitz's first official duty as Princess Kay comes Thursday, the first day of the State Fair, when she will sit in a rotating cooler in the Dairy Building for nearly six hours to have her likeness sculpted in a 90-pound block of butter.

The other 11 finalists will sit daily for butter sculptor Linda Christensen, who is marking her 47th year immortalizing the dairy princesses in butter.

They are scheduled as follows:

•Friday, Aug. 24: Melendy Miller, Plainview, representing Wabasha County.

•Saturday, Aug. 25: Laura Grimm, Waconia, representing Carver County.

•Sunday, Aug. 26: Julia Mullenbach, Rose Creek, representing Mower County.

•Monday, Aug. 27: Amy Broll, Chaska, representing Carver County.

•Tuesday, Aug. 28: Megan Hollermann, Burtrum, representing Todd County.

•Wednesday, Aug. 39: Blaize Dankers, Plainview, representing Wabasha County.

•Thursday, Aug. 30: Ashley Maus, Freeport, representing Stearns County.

•Friday, Aug. 31: Katherine Gathje, Richmond, representing Meeker County.

•Saturday, Sept. 1: Catherine Thompson, Plainview, representing Olmsted County.

•Sunday, Sept. 2: Korissa Lindquist, Kerkhoven, representing Kandiyohi County.

•Monday, Sept. 3: Calissa Lubben, Edgerton, representing Rock County.

Princess Kay's Facebook page will provide updates and photos of each completed butter sculpture.