(photo: Wright County American Dairy Association)
(left to right: Kennedy Sparkman, Gianna Beaudry, Sophie Salmela, Harper Salmela, Ella Havisto, Lilly Poppler, Lauren Berning)
The new 2026 Wright County Dairy Princesses and Ambassadors were crowned in recent days at an event in Howard Lake.
A video message from the current Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Malorie Thorson of Waverly was among the highlights of the ceremony. Last year, Malorie’s journey that resulted in her being crowned as the new Princess Kay began at the 2025 banquet and coronation.
The 2026 Princesses are Sophie Salmela, who is a senior at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School, and Ella Havisto, who is a 2024 graduate of Buffalo High School.
This year’s Dairy Ambassadors are Gianna Beaudry, Lauren Berning, Lilly Poppler, Kennedy Sprarkman and Harper Salmela.
Midwest Dairy Corporate Board Chair Charles Krause, a dairy producer from rural Buffalo was the emcee for the event. Krause presented KRWC Radio a special plaque of appreciation for radio coverage of farm issues, as well as for entertaining listeners with various on-air games throughout the year that feature and highlight dairy products.
(Charles Krause – left, Tim Matthews / KRWC – right)
