Shelley Brown of Inver Grove Heights beat out four other full-figured, full-throated women Wednesday night to wear the Klondike Kate sash in the warm-up event for the St. Paul Winter Carnival.
The contestants were judged at the Prom Center in Oakdale on musical performance, song choice, vocal abilities, costuming, crowd appeal and authenticity.
The others in the field were Lynn Lane of New Brighton, Theresa McConnon of St. Paul, Rachel Orzoff of Richfield and Yana Reko of Maple Grove.
Klondike Kate is modeled after a real-life character who, according to carnival organizers, "so charmed the legions of miners [in the Gold Rush of 1898] that they showered her with gold dust and nuggets."
Billed as the "Mistress of Fun and Frivolity," Kate will perform throughout the two-week carnival, which begins Jan. 22.
Kathy Rustin-Westphal, a mother of two and a 3M employee from St. Paul Park, was named the 2014 Klondike Kate.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
