From butter sculptures to all-you-can-drink milk, visitors at the Minnesota State Fair running from Aug. 23 to Sept. 3 will have ample opportunity to experience all things dairy.

• Visit the Dairy Goodness Bar in the Dairy Building and enjoy the winner of Midwest Dairy’s fourth annual Flavor of the Fair contest: That’s S’more Like It malt or sundae. The flavor is made with Minnesota dairy farmers’ secret, state-fair-recipe vanilla ice cream or malt, topped with graham cereal, tiny marshmallows and chocolate syrup.

• Make flavor suggestions for next year’s ice cream flavor while watching the 65th Princess Kay of the Milky Way and the 11 Princess Kay finalists have their likenesses carved in blocks of butter in the Dairy Building, beginning Aug. 23. Each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., one young woman will have her likeness carved in butter by artist Linda Christensen inside the 40-degree-F rotating sculpting booth.

• Speaking of Princess Kay, the 12 Princess Kay of the Milky Way candidates have been preparing for judging and coronation since they were selected last May. The coronation ceremony starts at 8 p.m. on Aug. 22, at the State Fair Band Shell, 1302 Cooper St.

• Stop by the All-You-Can-Drink Milk Stand on Judson Avenue, northeast of the coliseum. Celebrating its 64th year at the fair, milk stand visitors can buy a bottomless cup of 2% white or low-fat chocolate milk for just $2. The stand is owned by Minnesota’s dairy farm families, and the milk is the only food or drink offered at the fair as an unlimited item.

• Join other dairy devotees for the 34th Annual Milk Run 5K at 7:45 a.m. Aug. 26 on West Dan Patch, south of the West End Market. Members of Team Dairy — a running group for dairy enthusiasts — will participate in the annual race. Midwest Dairy is sponsoring the event again this year, with Kemps providing the free chocolate milk to runners as they cross the finish line. All runners will also receive a coupon for a complimentary treat from the Dairy Goodness Bar.

• Princess Kay and the Princess Kay finalists also will provide family activities and games at the Christensen Farm Stage near the FFA Miracle of Birth Center (Judson Avenue at Clough Street) at the following times throughout the fair:

• Aug. 25, 11 a.m. to noon
• Aug. 26, 11 a.m. to noon
• Aug. 27, 11 a.m. to noon
• Aug. 31, 11 a.m. to noon
• Sept. 1, 11 a.m. to noon
• Sept. 2, 11 a.m. to noon

Fairgoers can follow the Princess Kay coronation live and see updates from the Fair on Twitter @MidwestDairy and with the hashtag #MNPrincessKay, as well as on Princess Kay’s Facebook page.

For more information, visit midwestdairy.com.

Source: Midwest Dairy